Jillian: LWB’s Featured Child of the Week
Jillian came to LWB’s attention late last summer. Her belly was alarmingly swollen, and she couldn’t absorb nutrition properly. LWB’s Medical Program arranged to have her rushed to the hospital for evaluation and treatment, where she was diagnosed with severe food allergies and a blood infection. The doctors prescribed IV antibiotics and a specialized formula called Neocate.
After a month in the hospital, Jillian was finally stable enough to be discharged to LWB’s Starbridge Healing Home.
The Starbridge staff quickly went to work to find ways to help Jillian heal and grow. They found that giving her small, frequent feedings and holding her upright for at least half an hour after each meal helped her keep her food down. With lots of special care and love, Jillian finally started to thrive. She gained 5.5 pounds in five months, and her worried little face started to relax into smiles and giggles.
Now that Jillian is approaching toddlerhood, she has been moved to LWB’s Heartbridge Healing Home, where she will have room to do all the fun things busy toddlers love to do.
We hoped Jillian would outgrow her digestive issues by now, but it appears she will need to receive long-term nutritional support. Right now she only tolerates her specialized formula, plus a bit of pureed apple and banana. After some more testing we are hoping she will soon be able to have a wider variety of foods to support all that growing she needs to do!
In the meantime, Jillian is in need of sponsors to help fund her very expensive, but effective, specialized formula. We welcome your one-time donation in any amount or monthly sponsorship. Sponsors will receive monthly photos and updates on Jillian’s progress.
