Lillian Hope Putney, born in Yokosuka Japan, was a heathy newborn until she reached 15-months.
Right after Christmas, Lily developed an ear infection. Her parents, Anthony and Carrie, did the standard seven days of antibiotic to help with her infection but after the seven days, she still wasn't herself.
“We took her to the emergency room. There were no signs of any lingering ear infection, so we were able to go home,” says Carrie, Lily’s mother. “The next day though, Lily fell asleep around 5 p.m. and I was not able to wake her. She was breathing, just not waking up. The on-call nurse told me to keep waking her to take sips of juice or water so she could stay hydrated and that she must just be wiped out from being sick.”
Twenty-four hours later, Lily took a dramatic turn.
That night, Lily woke up, got sick and started seizing. Her whole left side was twitching by the time they got the hospital. “The medical team started talking about epilepsy and giving her phenobarbital,” says Carrie. “And I just stood there, frozen.”
Lily was diagnosed with presumed viral encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain caused by a virus. She was also diagnosed with a seizure disorder, developmental delay, and cerebral palsy, all secondary to her initial illness.
In 2003, the family moved to Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and Lily received specialized care at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Toms River. She was in a rehabilitation program for six weeks and then moved to outpatient therapy.
“It was by chance I caught the article on Children’s Specialized Hospital in our local small paper called the Current,” says Carrie. “They were opening up a new office right here in Egg Harbor Township and we couldn’t believe it.”
Lily, now seventeen years old, is non-verbal and non-ambulatory. She continues to make progress at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Egg Harbor Township through her physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions. She attends school at Atlantic County Special Services School District as well.
One of her therapists, Kim Heyman, a Speech Language Pathologist states, “Lily is the perfect example of all children having potential given the proper resources and adequate time. When she began her most recent course of speech therapy with us, she could only make choices using ‘yes’ and ‘no’ icons on an iPad with a great deal of assistance. After a lot of research and trials, as well as long-term hard work from Lily and her family and caregivers, she can now ask for things, such as activities, toys and treats specifically by name using eye gaze technology. Her favorite thing to ask for is cotton candy. So, at seventeen years old, there has been a major shift in Lily’s ability to communicate which has contributed to her overall independence and quality of life.”
Carrie and Anthony are grateful for Children’s Specialized Hospital. “It reminds me that there are therapists out there that really enjoy what they are doing and are good at it,” says Carrie. “They want Lily to reach her fullest potential.”