Amid crisis, a bit of comfort from home
Published 5:00 pm Monday, April 23, 2012
- <p>Emily Springer’s favorite color, turquoise, is part of the plaid in a blanket she received while undergoing treatment for an eye injury in Portland. The blanket was a gift from the John Day Elkettes.</p><p></p>
PRAIRIE CITY In the midst of a medical crisis that took her from her Grant County home to Doernbecher Childrens Hospital and the Casey Eye Institute, 11-year-old Emily Springer got an unexpected touch of home to comfort her.
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The solace came in the form of a blanket lovingly sewn and donated to the Portland hospital by the John Day Elkettes.
How it came into Emilys hands is a story that began on Easter Sunday afternoon. Her parents, Shannon and Mike Springer, recall that the kids were out in the yard, Emily pounding on things with a hammer, as kids will do.
Suddenly one strike shot a shard of something through the front of Emilys left eye. The piece went through the eye, just missing the optic nerve, and ending stuck in the back layer of the eyeball.
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The Springers rushed Emily to Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day and then to the emergency room at Oregon Health & Science University. With surgery scheduled for Monday, Emily was admitted to a room at Doernbecher.
We talked with about five eye specialists, recalled Shannon.
She stayed on in Portland for Emilys surgery, while Mike had to return home, where they had left their 13-year-old son Nick with friends.
The surgery took four hours, as surgeons removed the fluid from Emilys eye, cleaned up damaged tissues and removed the offending object a 3 millimeter-wide disc of rock or metal. Shannon said the exact substance wasnt certain, but the doctors said it was magnetic.
The trauma triggered the development of a cataract, so the lens had to be removed.
Now doctors are waiting to see how Emilys retina recovers from damage resulting from interrupted blood flow in the mishap. The retina damage is expected to result in a blind spot, but the extent of impairment wont be known until later.
While Emily was awaiting surgery at Doernbecher, the staff brought Emily some markers, a tablet and other things to take her mind of the stressful situation.
They always do what they can to make it homey and more familiar, Shannon said.
The Casey staff gave Emily a stuffed animal, and then asked about her favorite color. They returned with a comforting blanket, a print including turquoise just for Emily.
Shannon noticed a tag sewn onto one corner, noting the donor organization: the John Day Elkettes. She showed it to Emily still able to read before her surgery and she was amazed to see it came from her home county.
That was pretty neat, her mom said.
As for the surgery, she said everything seemed to go well. The Springers are hopeful that the result will be the best-case scenario, a little scar tissue and a small blind spot. The outcome could have been much worse, they note.
The biggest challenge now may be to keep Emily from being too active, especially as she recovers from the surgery and feels better. Shes back at school, but isnt supposed to play at recess or participate in P.E. Its a tall order for an energetic child and her family.
Im going to need a lot of duct tape to keep her down, joked her mom.