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Background Story
Claire, as you all know, is 15 years old, developmentally delayed due to Pallister Killian Syndrome, and is mentally developed to approximately the age of 3. Due to a mix of her syndrome, her mental age, and her strong will, she really doesn't like to hear the word 'no'. As a result of that, and her propensity to wander whenever she so decided, we had to put keyed locks on the exterior doors of the home and had to padlock our back gate. For three and a half years at our new home that worked just fine, until Saturday, December 17th, 2011.
Karlee was out running errands. Claire was playing upstairs in her room happy as a clam, Jacob was downstairs watching reruns of America's Funniest Home Videos, and I (Claire's Dad, Chris) was upstairs in my office checking the latest comings & goings of the NFL preparing for the next week of fantasy football moves to make.
It was as normal a day could be in the Fuchs household. Then our lives were turned upside down.
I heard multiple loud knocks at the door and the doorbell ringing in a way I can only describe at this point as frantic. Heading downstairs I got to the door and a neighbor girl, about Claire's age, who we know very well was standing there. The words she said next floored me....
I won't forget the sequence of events that day from that point forward. I rushed to Claire, who was laying on her back across our walkway. Jacob was fast on my heels. When I reached her she was alert and in obvious pain. I turned to my hero of a son and asked him calmly to go get my phone and bring it to me. He did everything perfectly.
911 was called and the Paramedics and Firefighters were there in minutes. They all know Claire at the Sun City Fire Department as they have had to come to her aid a few times due to her seizures and were visibly shocked to see what had happened to her. They acted quickly and professionally and got Claire stabilized and secured for transport.
Karlee arrived as they were getting Claire situated on a backboard and I intercepted her to explain what happened. We then both went to Claire's side as the First Responders put her on the ambulance for evaluation.
After they evaluated her the lead at the scene came to us and advised us they were going to fly her to Phoenix Children's Hospital via helicopter. He explained to us that this was a precaution they must take, due to the distance she fell (which was anywhere between 10-14 feet). They told us to drive to PCH to be with Claire.
Jacob, with our urging, stayed with a neighborhood friend overnight while we handled the initial evaluation and worked with the doctors in the ER and ICU. We told him we would pick him up the next day to be with us and complete our family at the hospital, but that this initial visit would be a long, overnight process, and to stay with his friends overnight and think good thoughts for Claire.
Upon arriving at PCH, they already had Claire set up for CT scans and were beginning to evaluate the extent of her injuries. When they finished the Neurosurgeon came to us to show us the X-ray sheet and tell us what was going to happen.
Claire had fractured her T-12 vertebrae, the lowest of the Thoracic vertebrae just above the lumbar spine. It was displaced and had damaged her spinal cord. She had lost use of her legs, but seemed to be doing well with everything above her waist. The doctor would not say at that time a prognosis for her, but we knew what was likely in store for us, simply based on the X-rays we saw. The hospital, the doctor said, would need to gather a team of surgeons, spine specialists, pediatric specialists, neuro specialists and all of the equipment necessary to correct this injury and surgery would be able to be performed the next day at 7:30am.
Sunday, December 18th at 7:00am they began to gather in her room to prep Claire for surgery and we walked with her as they wheeled her down the hall to the OR. The doctor stopped us short of the doors. He explained to us that he would only tell us the truth about what he knows and what he believed would be the result. His words were short and sharp as knives when he said, “She will not walk again. This procedure is to straighten out her spine, but it will not repair it.” Our hearts sank.
After she went into surgery, which they said could take several hours, we called our neighbor and asked that they bring Jacob to us. At this point, Jacob only knew she was hurt and in the hospital - he had no idea the extent of her injuries. The neighbor would arrive with him in approximately 45 minutes and we would explain to him the extent of her injuries while waiting for Claire's surgery to be finished.
