I would like to introduce you to BreAnna.
BreAnna was born October 30, 2004. She was a healthy happy little girl until March 22, 2006 when everything changed. Yes, I am her biological mom!
While away visiting her biological father I received a phone call on the third day saying they had BreAnna at the local hospital and they were going to be life flighting her to the nearest Children’s Hospital which was about four hours away. I had no idea what was going on until I got to the hospital and saw her laying lifeless in a coma covered in bruises. She wasn’t breathing on her own and her temperature was extremely low. My heart was shattered, I knew then something bad had happened.
That night the weather was bad. So it took awhile but she was finally at St. Louis Childrens Hosptial. As I was driving there I would call for an update and they wouldn’t tell me if she was even there. As soon as my father, mother and myself arrived at the hospital a caseworker met us at the door. Taking us straight back to a room to be questioned. At this time they wouldn’t tell me anything. I was so angry and full of disbelief that my baby was here let alone the fact I didn’t know anything for hours and just wanted to know if she was alive and ok.
It didn’t take long before they believed they knew what happened. They didn’t know how or who but after several test they determined the time frame when they believed it happened.
Her team of doctors determined she was Shaken, thrown up against a wall and then placed in a tub of cold water to stimulate her enough to wake up causing her temperature to be very life threatening low.
He refused to get her medical treatment and I believe had no plans on doing so until his girlfriend had came home from work that night.
Everything seem to happen so fast after I finally got an update and was able to see her. It was questioning and information over load. All I wanted to know was if she was going to be OK and what happened to her.
Doctors were telling me she wasn’t going to survive and if she did it wouldn’t be good that she would be a vegetable for however long she lived if she did. Surgery after surgery she never gave up, her life body kept fighting. So in no way could I give up on her.
She had a bolt placed in to measure the swelling on her brain and within days had her bone flap was removed so the swelling would not press on her brain stem any longer. Her swelling would go down and then right back up again. They would bring a needle in the room and get all the extra fluid off of her brain but her brain couldn’t absorb it any longer. So she had a shunt placed.
She had so many bruises all over little body, a hematoma, detached retinas, fractured arm, a injury to her abdomen and showed signs of old blood or injuries to her brain before this.
BreAnna was in the PICU for two weeks where I couldn’t talk to her, touch her for fear of stimulating her brain. The room was in dark and cold. They did allow me to put a radio in her room and I continously played baby Mozart for her. I didn’t want her to feel alone and at this time it’s all I could do.
During these two weeks her abuser was able to be there, he was able to see her and I had to stand by her bed while he was across from me. If I couldn’t handle it then we would of had seperate visiting hours and I couldn’t take a chance of him being alone with her. I didn’t know what he would do to her at this point.
After two weeks it was known what had happened and in the time frame it happened. She was doing better and was now out of the medically induced coma. So they moved her to the floor. After those two weeks I never heard or saw him again.
She had a g-tube and trach placed and had to to learn how to breathe all over again. Watching this one of the hardest things I had to watch again long with the first time I saw her and the draining of the fluid off her brain.
She staid on the floor for two months and was doing a little better but had a ways to go still. The decided it would better to send her to a rehab facility so she can learn to do things over and I could learn how to take care care of her. They also needed to get her medications she needed under control and she had so much anger at this time. It was heartbreaking to watch how mad she would get. They gave her medication to try to help her forget what had happened and what was before but with with the anger I am not sure she did. They taught me how to take care of all her needs and of course my dad as well. They wouldn’t let us leave unless we had a second person to help.
During these five months in rehab, I never once saw or heard from her abuser.
We found a house away from our hometown and was able to take BreAnna come home on October 22, 2006.
BreAnna had lost over 70% of her brain function and has a list of the many things she is unable to do. She does have siezures, a G-button where she gets all her nutrition, a Shunt to drain the fluid off of her brain, Scoliosis do to paralysis, no bone flap on the left side of her head and we are unsure of what she can see and not see do to the fact she is unable to talk. She takes several medications daily and will for the rest of the time her little body will allow.
The list of can nots goes on and on but she can do things she wasn’t expected to do. Such as giggle, make noises, recognize voices and of course being a onery teenage girl.
In 2012 we went to trial and her bio logical father was found guilty. He spent his first night in jail after they found him guilty. A month later he was sentenced. He is now serving a 15 year prison sentence with a chance of parole in 2022.
To my knowledge he has never has admitted to what he did exactly or why he did what he did to my baby girl. I believe he is still trying to say he is innocent.
BreAnna has had many ups and downs, struggles and obstacles and moments I never want to relive but she has overcame them all and we are very grateful for that!
BreAnna is loved by many, she is a little Daddys (step dad) girl and she has her grandpa wrapped around her little finger! She loves her brother and sisters very much. It makes her so happy when they sit and talk to her. Any attention she gets makes her one happy little girl! She loves music any kind for that matter but she has a few favorite songs. She really likes it when you sing to her with the song even if you don’t know all the words or are just not a singer like myself. Of course I cant forget about all those Barbie movies she loves. I think we all know at least one movie word for word.
I am grateful for every moment we have with her.
BreAnna gained her wings on September 3, 2018. She is now able to do all the things she couldn’t here on earth and is surrounded by people in heaven that love her dearly. Sing and dance with the Angels baby girl. Mommy and Daddy miss you so much.
Since BreAnna’s passing it has been hell. We miss her every day. I work constantly to get through each day. Worry so much about my other children it is insane. The pain of missing her some days are unbearable.
https://www.facebook.com/BreAnnasJourney/
I would like to introduce you to Paisley.
Original Story: 3/18/13
Our daughter, Paisley, was shaken by her daycare provider in November 2011; she was 7 months old. On November 30, 2011, she was taken via ambulance to the ER and a CT scan found bilateral subdural hematomas, thought to be of varying ages (meaning she was most likely shaken twice; this explains why she was so sick the 2 weeks prior but drs thought was a GI virus). She was then urgently taken to another hospital via helicopter. I had asked the ER physician if she was going to die. His answer was “I don’t know”. She also was found to have bilateral retinal hemorrhaging. After spending 6 days in the hospital, she was able to come home. Her Pediatric Intensivist said she is our “Christmas miracle”. And she is! Everything has resolved and she’s going to be 2 in April. She’s developing great and hitting all milestones! We are so grateful and blessed to have her with us today, and never take a second for granted with her!
Her daycare provider admitted to shaking her but we are still going through court hearings, and she hasn’t been officially charged and/or sentenced yet.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter. – Martin Luther King Jr
Update March 2020:
Mom wrote
Paisley is doing great! There’s a reason God kept her here with us. She has the kindest heart, is so funny, and is working hard in school; now in 3rd grade. She wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Included are two pictures of Paisley and her little sister, Aspen. One is before a school concert. Paisley was chosen to sing a solo. She has a beautiful voice and loves music! I joke she’d make a wonderful lawyer because she will argue until she’s blue in the face if she’s trying to get me or her father to see things her way She doesn’t give up, that’s for sure!
I would like to introduce you to JJ.
On June 7th 1999 our whole world changed . It started at the beginning of May when a family friend of ours from AZ asked if her 17 year old nephew ( Jason ) could come stay with us , get a job and work on getting his own place because he loved Oregon so much . We said sure . On the day everything changed , I had to go to work and the 17 year old agreed to watch our son JJ ( Jeremiah ) because the day before he was diagnosed with croup . So I couldn’t take him to his regular sitter . I clocked in at 3:30 as I always did to start my job as a cashier at the local grocery store . At 4:45 I received a phone call from my sons other baby sitter saying that Jason had called her saying that JJ wasn’t breathing right and that she was going to call am ambulance . I said yes and that I would meet her at St Johns Hospital in Longview WA . So I called for my supervisor to take over . I pulled my till , and ran for the counting room . Everyone told me not to worry about it and they would count it for me . As I walked out they handed me the phone again and it was the same sitter that called . She said they just took him to Emanuel Hospital in Portland Oregon . One of the 2 trauma hospitals in Oregon . At this point I knew something was not right . I took off like a bat outta hell for the hospital . When I got there , Jason was trying to spell our last name , but there was no emotion from him . I yelled Jason what happened ? Then started telling the lady at the counter that I wanted to see my son . Another woman came out and asked if I was Jeremiahs mother . I said yes and I wanted to see my son . They told me no . And that they were prepping him for emergency brain surgery to save his life . I started screaming and crying . I said that’s not a breathing problem !!! Jason just kept saying he woke up that way from his nap . They put me and Jason in a small room where I could call JJ’s dad . I called a friend of his where he was supposed to be at . He told me he just left and that he would catch up with him and tell him . We sat in this small room for what felt like an eternity . Then Mike ( my husband and JJs dad ) showed up with my mom right behind him . We waited for any thing . During this time the local police pulled Jason out to talk to him and then myself . After several hours , they said he was moved up to the ICU . So we went up to another small room while the doctor gave us the update on him . He had suffered a several head trauma . While we are trying to get more information , more police pulled Jason back out to question him . Then they pulled my husband out to question him . The doctors came in and said we could see him now . So I asked Jason where they took him to talk to him . He showed us . We walked in to the ICU walking past several rooms . I walked by one and looked in and saw a small baby with tubes every where . It broke my heart . So once we found Mike , I said we could see him . At that point he said they were done and he got up . We walked through the ICU to that same room I looked in to as I walked by . I stopped at the door in shock . That same little baby with all the tubes was my son . I didn’t even recognize my own baby ! His face was swollen and covered in bruises . I just stood there thinking this is a nightmare and I will wake up soon back in my bed . This isn’t happening . As I stood there , staring , the police wanted to question me again . Everyone said no , shes just getting to see her son . Let her have a minute . I said it was ok . That I wanted to get this done because I wasn’t leaving the room again until my baby wakes up . The police actually thought I did it before work . They were trying to tell me that I hurt him before I left for work . All except I had been at work for over an hour and the bruises were still showing up in the ambulance and in surgery . They were getting darker . So it wasn’t me or they would have seen them when the ambulance got there to get him . Any way I went back to the ICU room and listened to everything they said . He was in a coma so that his brain could heal . They kept saying brain injury but I wasn’t letting it sink in because there was no way . I didn’t believe it . That night , Jason went home with my mom . He stayed at our house while we stayed at the hospital . He ate our food , watched TV , even used our phone . Well , on the 3rd day , he was at my parents house having dinner with them . I was told that after they ate dinner , he sat at the dining room table on the phone with his family , crying . The next morning , day 4 , I went in to sit with JJ when a nurse came up and said I had a really important phone call . I called it back and it was Tina , Jason’s aunt and my best friend when we lived in Phoenix . She said that Jason’s mom had a heart attack and they needed him home as soon as possible . They had a plane ticket waiting for him at the airport . Again , not thinking that anyone would hurt our son and that this was just an accident , I said that I would call my mom and have her take him . The nurse behind me was waving her arms at me . She told me that he was the prime suspect and that I needed to call the police and tell them . So I did . Then I called my mom and told her what was going on . Later that afternoon , my husband and myself were sitting in JJ’s room hold his hand and talking to him , when we looked out the door seeing SEVERAL nurses , doctors and case workers standing at the nurses station . They started walking towards the room when the phone in JJ’s room rang . As I am walking to answer it , all the doctors are coming in , closing the door and the curtain to his room . I answered the phone and heard something I will never forget in a million years . Mrs Neubaum , this is Det. Miller from the St Helens Police Department and we want to let you know that we have just arrested Jason . It was like being hit by a 2×4 in the back of the legs . I hit the floor screaming . NO NO NO NO . My husband held me and asked what . I told him Jason did it . He stood up and started heading for the door . That’s when they stopped him and told him that he needed to be there for his son . They knew what he wanted to do . That is when they told us it was Shaken Baby Syndrome . They knew for 4 days but couldn’t say anything because they needed to make sure they had Jason so Mike didn’t kill him . But a miracle happened with Jeremiah . They said that due to the stroke on his left side , he would never walk again . They said once he wakes from the coma , he could be blind , deaf or both . He had bleeding behind both eyes. His 2 front teeth were broken from being hit and from the shaking . Well , God heard our prayers because after several weeks ,JJ started looking around the room and trying to talk . He couldn’t feel anything on his left side . So after being there for 6 weeks and several therapy visits , occupational , speech , and physical , they let us take him home . He was home for about a month and a half , he started teaching himself to walk . On his own . He has had 5 surgeries on his leg to fix the fact that it was starting to point and turn , 2 surgeries on his arm to try to straighten his wrist and to prevent it from turning , a feeding tube put in and removed , as well as the 3 brain surgeries . The one that saved his life and 2 others due to more bleeding . In high school , he wanted to do something that blew our mind . He wanted to part of the football team . So they made him a kicker on both JV and Varsity . The highlight of his Senior year was getting to go out and kick in front of h is high school at a home game . And what happened had most of the stands in tears . It was awesome and JJ will never forget it .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnlURwoa3eM ( Kick 1 ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-5xWppIjnY ( kick 2 )
Our son has been through so much but he has still taken the time to educate others on SBS . He has spoke about it to the Child Development class at the local high school as well as made SBS Awareness his senior project . As far as the one that hurt him goes ? He received 5 years and 10 months in a juvenile Detention Center and had to pay JJ $10,000 in restitution . He was charged with 1 count of 2nd Degree assault. Would have been first degree but no one knew that he was strangled until the neurosurgeon took the stand . Jeremiah is now 22 years old and preparing for another surgery to his foot to repair his toes after they turned from how he had been walking over the years . God Bless you all and thank you for taking the time to read this .
The entire Neubaum Family Mike Dena Jeremiah and Tyler
I would like to introduce you to Lailynd.
Meet Lailynd
Original Story: 3/28/13
On December 16th 2011, I got a call from my daughters “father” saying that he was waiting for an ambulance to arrive as my 6 month old daughter Lailynd was un responsive, her eyes widening, tensing her arms and legs to her chest, and that for 10 minutes her body went limp! Frantically I rushed to the hospital. When arriving there I was brought to my daughter where nurses and doctors were trying relentlessly to get bloodwork from her tiny body. I held her hand and assured her it was going to be okay, it absolutely broke my heart in two. They told me she was having a seizure.We then headed down where she had gotten a CT scan ! Brought back to the emergency room, we were told Lailynd had bilateral frontal subdural hemorrhages, her fontanelle was noted to be full & retinal hemorrhages! After being questioned by a detective separately, my daughters “father” said he knew who did it and pointed the finger at his then girlfriend, then changed his story over a 2 month period 4 different times & still nothing legally has been done!! Lailynd was moved to icu to be monitored. The nurses considered feeding tubes, because she couldn’t keep her formula down. Thankfully before they put it in they had me hold her and feed her & she managed to keep it down!! Another CT scan showed the subdural hematomas resolving, so no stunt was necessary! Lailynd was released on December 24th in my care! After several home visitors & clinic dates….Lailynd is now a very active 19 month old baby girl, vibrant & full of life. Although I know as she grows she may grow into her injury…we still thank god every day for her recovery..She is strong and full of life! We still struggle on a day to day with the “how and why” our lives were changed forever that day but she fought through the odds!
Update 2020: I am beyond blessed that she is a healthy little girl. She is now 9 years old and has a moderate tic disorder.
I would like to introduce you to Dylan.
I adopted my survivor Dylan when he was 2. He was shaken by his birth father at 12 weeks old. Dylan will forever 12 weeks old developmentally since the damage to his brain was so bad.
Stop Shaken Baby Syndrome Inc. 