The Brain Project

I am currently researching an article that I will be writing for a Hattie Larlham publication. For any of you who are not familiar with Hattie Larlham, it is a non-profit organization that provides services to more than 1,500 children and adults with developmental disabilities. The focus of this article is Pediatric Acquired Traumatic Brain Injury (PATBI).

In my research, I've learned that PATBI is the #1 leading cause of death and disability for children under 15 years of age in the United States, resulting in over 5,000 deaths and over 17,000 permanent disabilities each year. These are staggering numbers, to say the least. Not to mention, PATBI can be PREVENTED.

PATBI includes all brain injuries caused by a trauma including:

• falls
• motor vehicle accidents
• being struck by an object
• violence/assult
• sports incidents
• gunshot wounds
• bicycle accidents

What I would like to address, however, is where my research has led me - Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). There are roughly 1,500 cases of SBS per year in the United States, and of these, 25% are lethal. For the other 75%, these children's lives, more often than not, are changed forever. For the worse. It is believed that less than 15% of shaken babies ever recover.

So, if you haven't been living under a rock, you've heard of Shaken Baby Syndrome. But, do you really know what happens?

• The brain rotates within the skull cavity, injuring or destroying brain tissue
• Blood vessels feeding the brain are torn, leading to bleeding around the brain
• Blood pools within the skull, creating more pressure within the skull and causing additional brain damage
• The retina (back of the eye) often bleeds

Wow. I'm not sure about you, but when I read these, I get that sick feeling in my gut, just thinking about something like this happening to MY child.

But, alas, I don't want to just talk about SBS today. I want you to visit this website now that you have a little bit of a background. Be sure to read the "Friends" pages. Then come back to me.....

.....All done surfing that site? Sad stuff, huh?

Sarah Jane's life was changed forever by the carelessness of one person. Sarah Jane, along with so many countless others, will be fighting an uphill battle for the rest of their lives.

After perusing this site, I began to think of what my reaction would be had this happened to my child. What would I do? Would feel such anger and hatred that I could wish physical harm or, worse yet, perform physical harm to a person who did this to my child? Or would I find a way to forgive them realizing that what they did may have been an accident? Honestly, I can't say for certain, but I strongly feel that I may not be able to hold my emotions in check long enough.

I don't mean to be a downer today, but this stuff is real. It's out there. It may never touch your life immediately, but it has definitely touched many others'. So, today, readers, I ask you to take a moment and reflect, pray, light a candle or skip a stone for Sarah Jane and all the children in the same boat. And remember: never, never, NEVER shake a baby.