September,1999

August was a busy month for us so it kind of slipped by without an update. The Ohio State Fair took up a huge part of August and thankfully it's over!!!!

Cameron is progressing well. Our therapist says she is starting to see signs of suppination (sp?). Which is a key skill. You and I use suppination for zipping zippers, buttoning buttons, etc... She is lifting her arm 90 degrees vertical. The really important steps will be hand to mouth and the "jumping jack" arm movement. We are being patient :)

Cameron had her year pictures taken at Fuggett's Photography. I'll post some when we get them! They are going to be sooooo cute! You can check out the newest home photos here.

Cameron's baptism is Sept. 10 and we are planning Cam's 1st birthday party on September 24. This will be Cameron's first experience with cake and ice cream! I can't wait. So as you can tell September will be an exciting and full month. See you next month!

July, 1999

Happy 4th of July! We had a great time at Cedar Point. We visited the "roller coaster capitol" with the Abt gang and enjoy some great rides -- including the "Power Tower" (which should be called the Tower of Pure Terror). All in all, it was fun! Cameron enjoyed the merry-go-round and Snoopy's camp.

Everything seems to be on pace with her arm. Tiffany, our therapist, is amazed at the weight she can bear on her affected arm. This is a direct result of the surgery. She has great triceps and hand function but we are still waiting for the biceps to fire.

I am busy planning the Blanchester Class of '89 reunion, so if there are any 89ers out there you can e-mail me for details.

As for work... I am busy planning for the 1999 Ohio State Fair. If you would like to visit the fair and are interested in coupons or more information, feel free to e-mail for details. Have a great summer!

June, 1999

Cameron's immobolizer came off early in the month! That was a huge milestone and we were so pleased that we can move her arm freely again. She is back in therapy once a week at Dayton Children's Hospital. Tiffany, Cameron's therapist, is so fantastic and says she can already tell a difference in her arm. We also do twice daily therapy sessions at home. The biceps aren't firing yet but doctors said it could be 2-3 months before we see any real movements. We remain optimistic!

Cameron has said "dada" and "mama" and she loves "uh-oh" right now! She is such a good baby! She rarely cries and laughs all the time. We have been supremely blessed and I thank God for my little Cam everyday!

The end of this month we head on Cameron's first real vacation at Cedar Point in Sandusky. We'll be sure and post pictures.

May, 1999

We are back from Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. Cameron's surgery was a success. She had three damaged nerves (C-5, C-6, and C-7) and a neuroma on two of the nerves (C5 and C6). They graphed a nerve from her leg (calf) into her brachial plexus to replace the damaged nerves. We had a wonderful experience at TCH. The doctors and surgeons were unbelievably kind and patient. If anyone would like to know additional details about our trip, please e-mail us and we can update you on all the details.

Cameron now will wear an immobolizer on her arm for four weeks. The stitches should be healed within 10 days. (Update--bandages came off on May 14. We were so happy. Our Dr. says he can tell a plastic surgeon did the stitching. Jim tried to get the plastic surgeon in Texas to throw in a few procedures for me but it seems that wasn't his speciality! Oh, well. Another time!)

We are thrilled with her prognosis. Doctors are now telling us she will have (at a minimum) 90% recovery of her arm function.

A big thanks to all those that kept us in their prayers. I'm convinced that has made all the difference. Keep in touch!

April, 1999

Hello! Welcome to our new family website. We decided to undertake this project to keep everyone informed about the West family, including Cameron. Since photographs change so quickly, we thought it easier to update Cameron's site versus sending everyone pictures every few months. We hope you enjoy it and please send comments, suggestions and questions.

We would also like to encourage everyone to send a photograph of your kids, family, pets, etc... to add to our Circle of Friends page. If you have a web site please e-mail the address and we'll include that as well.

An update on Cameron's arm--- As many of you are aware, Cameron suffered a shoulder dystocia at birth. Her right shoulder became caught in the birthing process which resulted in a broken clavicle and in erb's palsy or brachial plexus injury. This is a condition where the nerves are stretched or torn resulting in peralysis of the limb. (In her case, the right arm) The majority of these cases correct themselves within a few days or months, unfortunately, that hasn't been the case for Cameron. We have seen some improvement but it is slow and behind the "normal" schedule. Cameron goes to therapy twice a month and we also visit the nueorologist. We are currently in contact with Texas Children's Hospital where there is team of brachial plexus experts who do amazing surgery on children with these injuries. Are tentative surgery date is May 5, so please keep us in your prayers as Cameron, mom and dad head to Texas.

However, we are extremely blessed with a exceedingly happy child with good health! She rarely cries and is so happy all the time. When we go to therapy we realize how lucky we are to have such a healthy child when so many families must deal with more difficult injuries and birth defects.

Jim is still at Ferno Washington, as a regional sales manager. He is constantly traveling and misses Cameron (and of course, me) when he's gone. I'm still with the Ohio Pork Producers Council as Director of Communications. I work at home three days a week and travel to Columbus on two. It is a great arrangement and I feel lucky to have this position.

That's all for now, but please e-mail us with your own updates! We love to hear from everyone!

March, 1999

Cameron has her two bottom teeth (which she had at 5 months). She is also sitting up without assistance! She laughs and talks to us. But it seems only the pets understand her language thus far. We just can't seem to comprehend her form of speech yet. (Her father and I are monolingual.) (Is that the right word? That alone should tell you something. Hee Hee!)

She loves going to day care with Grandma West. She enjoys the other kids and Grandma says she's the most well-behaved baby there. (As if I had any doubts.)