Oct
31
Written by:
Ranken Jordan
Friday, October 31, 2008
Ranken Jordan is currently hosting the Pediatric Stroke Awareness Quilt
, which features stories and photos of 21 children from across the nation who have been affected by pediatric strokes. The families of these children are involved in the Pediatric Stroke Network, an online support group, and the quilt is passed to each of the families for a period of time.
Ranken Jordan patient Elijah Rutherford, of O’Fallon, Mo., is featured on the quilt. Four-year-old Elijah and his mother, Jennifer, received the quilt in May and decided to display it at Ranken Jordan to help raise awareness of pediatric strokes. Elijah suffered from a stroke while still in the womb. He has overcome speech obstacles through therapy, and he is now undergoing treatment for physical problems, including limited use of his right hand and leg.
According to the Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association, it is unclear how often strokes occur prior to birth, but strokes occur in 1 in 4,000 infants from birth to age 1
and in 6 in 100,000 children ages 1 to 18. The result from a pediatric stroke can vary, ranging from mild cases resulting in speech or physical problems to more severe cases that lead to paralysis, seizures or mental impairment.
The Pediatric Awareness Stroke Awareness quilt and a scrapbook will be on display until June 6 at Ranken Jordan in Maryland Heights, Mo. The scrapbook, compiled by Jennifer Rutherford, features detailed survival stories of the 21 children on the quilt. The quilt was made in Bristol, Pa., by Margie Zielinski, a mother of one of the children included on the quilt.