Each month, one family with a medically complex baby or child is selected to receive a portion of the profits from Legendairy Milk as part of the Legendairy Littles program.
The month of August we have selected to focus on Scaphocephaly. This is the most common form of craniosynostosis, which is when the bones in an infant’s head fuse together abnormally. At birth, an infant’s skull is not a solid piece of bone, but several separate bones with growth plates. Typically the skull is slow to close and will often finish closing during adulthood. In cases where the bones fuse together too soon, it can put pressure on the brain and may keep the brain from growing normally. This condition can require CAT scans and x-rays to diagnose and gain a more in depth understanding of what the skull actually looks like. The only way to help bones that have fused together prematurely is to separate them with surgery. The type of surgery will vary from child to child.
Elijah is eight months old with Scaphocephaly. He had pressure from his brain that caused his skull to form abnormally. He had surgery in June at only 6 months old that required a part of his skull to be removed, broken into pieces, and then replaced in a suitable position so that his brain has the possibility of normal growth. This procedure lasted approximately 7 hours and required a PICU stay for 2 days and an additional 4 days in a standard pediatric hospital room. Although Elijah has a lot of pain with recovery, he is a happy, rambunctious little guy. He has to make frequent visits to his neurosurgeon to make sure that his brain is growing as it should and that he does not have pressure built up inside of his skull. Elijah’s family also has to be watchful for neurological disorders and seizures as he heals from surgery. Elijah had to be admitted from the ER because he was fighting an infection that caused his potassium and white blood cell counts to rise too high. He is a champ and is recovering from that now.
During the month of August, a portion of Legendairy Milk’s profits will be donated to Elijah’s family to assist with the expenses associated with his infection following his surgery. If you would like to nominate your family for the Legendairy Littles program, please email us at littles@legendairymilk.com.