Chicago does tree work in expansion area
Listen to WBBM780 interview me about this story!
By James Fuller
Less than a day after a DuPage County judge temporarily blocked demolition of Bensenville properties for O'Hare International Airport expansion, Chicago officials face allegations of violating the restraining order.
Construction crews trimmed and cleared trees Thursday morning from at least three properties on the 200 block of Orchard Road near the airport fence.
Bensenville attorney Joseph Karaganis said the heavy equipment used for the clearing damaged property and uprooted soil. DuPage Circuit Judge Kenneth Popejoy told city of Chicago attorneys on Wednesday not to disturb any soil at the site until environmental testing occurs.
"The whole premise of the injunction was based on expert opinion that there may be contamination in the soil," Karaganis said. "Don't disturb the soil until the testing is done, and Chicago proceeded to disturb the hell out of it."
O'Hare Modernization Program Executive Director Rosemarie Andolino said Bensenville is blowing things out of proportion. She said the tree trimming and clearing is comparable to everyday landscaping activities at the airport.
In this case, she said, the trimmings occurred to make expansion property owned by the city more visible to airport security patrolling the fence line and property managers overseeing vacant houses.
"We have every right to be on our property, making sure we provide a secure and safe property," Andolino said. "There are a lot of places that people can wander to, a lot of trees that people can hide behind."
Andolino said plans for further security measures at the 500 parcels Chicago controls are in place, including the installation of fencing. She said fencing could begin as early as today along with more tree clearing.
But first, Popejoy will decide if such activity violates the restraining order he has in place. A hearing is planned for this morning.
Chicago attorneys asked Popejoy for permission to erect fences at the last court hearing on Wednesday. Popejoy refused to give an impromptu ruling at the time.
Friday
Hard news: Mixed O’Hare ruling
By James Fuller and Justin Kmitch
jfuller@dailyherald.com jkmitch@dailyherald.com
Posted Thursday, July 26, 2007
Bulldozers could raze Bensenville homes in the area proposed for expanding O’Hare International Airport, but not until the city of Chicago completes environmental testing ordered Wednesday by a DuPage County judge.
The decision by DuPage Circuit Judge Kenneth Popejoy signaled a partial victory for Bensenville officials. It creates a further delay to the demolition work they have opposed for some time.
It’s unclear how long the environmental tests would take. Popejoy said he wants to see the results of the testing before allowing demolition to proceed.
Bensenville submitted sworn affidavits by experts indicating the likelihood of toxic chemicals being present on various parts of the expansion site, such as the old Nelson Steel and Wire Co. property.
“I am not going to risk the residents of Bensenville and the other residents in the surrounding area,” Popejoy said.
Last week, Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam urged the FAA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a thorough study to examine the risks of exposure to toxic substances during the proposed demolition. Roskam called Wednesday’s ruling a “step in the right direction.”
“This decision is in concert with what I was arguing for,” he said. “My constituents need to be protected from these unknown risks.”
But not all of Popejoy’s decisions went Bensenville’s way.
Bensenville had planned to issue stop work orders to any demolition crew and to arrest anyone who ignored them.
But Popejoy ruled Bensenville’s local laws requiring village approval of demolition applications don’t apply to the O’Hare expansion project.
Popejoy emphasized Bensenville’s lack of authority to hinder the expansion. He said he’ll clear his schedule to review the results of the environmental tests to prevent further delays.
That indicates demolition ultimately will proceed. It’s just a matter of when.
Still, Bensenville attorney Joseph Karaganis emphasized his disbelief that full funding of any phase of the expansion will occur.
Karaganis said he believes Chicago to be between $1.5 billion and $2.1 billion short of paying for the initial $8 billion phase.
Earlier this year, project leaders disclosed a $400 million cost overrun and a new projected deadline — pushing the cost from $7.5 billion to nearly $8 billion and setting back completion from 2013 to 2014. They also pushed back the opening of O’Hare’s first new runway by one year.
If demolition proceeds but funding stalls, Bensenville would be stuck with a vast dirt plain.
“Many people, including the media, believe that we are pursuing a lost cause because Chicago is moving some dirt around on the airport grounds,” Village President John Geils said in a prepared statement. “Chicago is engaged in a dangerous and costly game in which they are already spending untold millions before the most important issues are settled.
“If the courts rule against Chicago — and we’re confident that when they follow the rule of law, they will — Daley will need to do some serious explaining to taxpayers why he pursued this folly.”
Chicago’s attorneys declined comment after Wednesday’s hearing and calls placed to O’Hare Modernization Program officials weren’t returned.
Monday
Trend in video games targets the Christian audience
BY JAMES FULLER
Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man and Jesus Christ could be the faces of the video game industry's Mount Rushmore if Christian game developers have a say.
The video game industry saw record sales of $13.5 billion last year. No Christian games cracked the Top 10 sales lists, but gamers at this weekend's 2007 Christian Game Developers Conference pray that soon will change.
They're starting not just with Best Buy and Circuit City outlets near you, but also in the churches and youth ministries in your neighborhood.
Teaching tools
Parents at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Naperville are using "Gospel Champions" to supplement summer Bible readings. The church lets parishioners download the game from its Web site right onto their home computers and activate it with an access code for the church's licensed copy.
The game changes monthly to match Bible readings. July's reading is the Good Samaritan story. Characters in the game controlled by kids act out a computerized version of the parable, complete with rehearsing basic Christian prayers in various spots."As a parent, and knowing how much kids are on the computer, I thought this was something that we actually want kids to know," said Patti Dougherty, the parish's religious education director.
The popularity of "Gospel Champions" is unknown, but interest seems to be growing.
Armageddon on PC
On a national level, the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" game is arguably the Christian game that's attracted the most interest.
The electronic adventure is modeled after the best-selling Christian book series about the aftermath of the Rapture - when God takes all faithful Christians from the earth.
"Eternal Forces" lets players lead a group of Christian forces against demonic soldiers resembling United Nations Peacekeepers in hopes of converting them. There's no blood, and prayer is the best weapon against guns, an aspect of the game that stifled most, but not all, Christian fears about violence in the game.
Lake Villa's Cheryl Gress founded the Web site Christ Centered Game Reviews after encountering too many games with "cult" themes that she felt uncomfortable playing after being inadequately warned by the game labels.
Gress said "Eternal Forces" probably had the biggest budget, name recognition and marketing effort of any Christian-themed game she's reviewed.
Indeed, Left Behind Games, which is tied to Carol Stream's Tyndale Publishers, reports more than 1 million requests for pass-it-on trial versions of the game from churches and ministries.
Still, Gress slammed the game in her personal review, as did most of the national video game press.
"I just found it really hard," Gress said. "And the online help community is not exactly there for it, because it's not a mainstream game."
Finding an audience
The challenge facing developers of Christian-themed video games is difficult, according to Bill Bean, president of the Association of Christian Entertainment, one of the organizations behind this year's Christian gaming conference.
They must create a game capable of not only making it to store shelves - but selling once it gets there.
"No one's looking at our packages and saying, 'Wow, that's good, and look, it says God on the box,'" Bean said. "We, as Christian game developers, need to provide games that are really fun to play, have a message in it and are reasonably priced."
Price is part of the reason John's Christian Stores throughout the suburbs aren't selling nearly as many video games as they do music CDs.
Brian Cook, a buyer for the chain, said his stores have only sold two copies of "Eternal Forces" since it hit the shelves in time for Christmas last year. The $59.95 price tag is one of the reasons.
"The quality doesn't match what you would expect to get out of a $60 game," Cook said. "But it's a unique market. There are very little Christian games, and there are always customers looking for it."
If a developer produces a Christian game that's both high quality and decently priced, Cook predicts the product would sell well.
"There's definitely people out there waiting for something," he said.
A dancing success
One Christian-themed game has sold out at John's Christian Stores.
It's called "Dance Praise Party." And Steve and Katie Willemssen count themselves among the fans of the Christian clone of the popular "Dance Dance Revolution."
Every Friday night at the their Aurora home, the couple and many of their 30-something friends gather around the television for a "Dance Praise Party" contest.
Only they're not bringing "SexyBack" with Justin Timberlake. Instead, they're getting down to Audio Adrenaline, a Christian band.
Steve Willemssen is the decided John Travolta of the group - wowing the crowd whenever it's his turn on the dance mat.
"We probably wouldn't have gotten one if it wasn't Christian, because the music these days is horrible," Katie Willemssen said. "The lyrics today, we would never appreciate something like that. So it's cool that the Christian market is coming up with something - that kids and adults now have an alternative to DDR."
Bean is one of the creators of "Dance Praise Party." He said the reason for the product's success is a lot of time spent on his knees asking God for guidance.
"You really want to make sure that this is what the Lord wants you to do," Bean said.
To that end, Bean said the future for Christian video game makers is to produce products for the big console systems like PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
"You ask yourself: What Christian titles have come out that have used good technology, had a good story and glued together good activities with a subtle message?" Bean said. "Is the product of equal quality as the same non-Christian games released at the same time, or did they do a value job on a Christian product?"
So where can Christians find those games?
"I haven't seen it," Bean confessed. "But I'd like to see it."
Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man and Jesus Christ could be the faces of the video game industry's Mount Rushmore if Christian game developers have a say.
The video game industry saw record sales of $13.5 billion last year. No Christian games cracked the Top 10 sales lists, but gamers at this weekend's 2007 Christian Game Developers Conference pray that soon will change.
They're starting not just with Best Buy and Circuit City outlets near you, but also in the churches and youth ministries in your neighborhood.
Teaching tools
Parents at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Naperville are using "Gospel Champions" to supplement summer Bible readings. The church lets parishioners download the game from its Web site right onto their home computers and activate it with an access code for the church's licensed copy.
The game changes monthly to match Bible readings. July's reading is the Good Samaritan story. Characters in the game controlled by kids act out a computerized version of the parable, complete with rehearsing basic Christian prayers in various spots."As a parent, and knowing how much kids are on the computer, I thought this was something that we actually want kids to know," said Patti Dougherty, the parish's religious education director.
The popularity of "Gospel Champions" is unknown, but interest seems to be growing.
Armageddon on PC
On a national level, the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" game is arguably the Christian game that's attracted the most interest.
The electronic adventure is modeled after the best-selling Christian book series about the aftermath of the Rapture - when God takes all faithful Christians from the earth.
"Eternal Forces" lets players lead a group of Christian forces against demonic soldiers resembling United Nations Peacekeepers in hopes of converting them. There's no blood, and prayer is the best weapon against guns, an aspect of the game that stifled most, but not all, Christian fears about violence in the game.
Lake Villa's Cheryl Gress founded the Web site Christ Centered Game Reviews after encountering too many games with "cult" themes that she felt uncomfortable playing after being inadequately warned by the game labels.
Gress said "Eternal Forces" probably had the biggest budget, name recognition and marketing effort of any Christian-themed game she's reviewed.
Indeed, Left Behind Games, which is tied to Carol Stream's Tyndale Publishers, reports more than 1 million requests for pass-it-on trial versions of the game from churches and ministries.
Still, Gress slammed the game in her personal review, as did most of the national video game press.
"I just found it really hard," Gress said. "And the online help community is not exactly there for it, because it's not a mainstream game."
Finding an audience
The challenge facing developers of Christian-themed video games is difficult, according to Bill Bean, president of the Association of Christian Entertainment, one of the organizations behind this year's Christian gaming conference.
They must create a game capable of not only making it to store shelves - but selling once it gets there.
"No one's looking at our packages and saying, 'Wow, that's good, and look, it says God on the box,'" Bean said. "We, as Christian game developers, need to provide games that are really fun to play, have a message in it and are reasonably priced."
Price is part of the reason John's Christian Stores throughout the suburbs aren't selling nearly as many video games as they do music CDs.
Brian Cook, a buyer for the chain, said his stores have only sold two copies of "Eternal Forces" since it hit the shelves in time for Christmas last year. The $59.95 price tag is one of the reasons.
"The quality doesn't match what you would expect to get out of a $60 game," Cook said. "But it's a unique market. There are very little Christian games, and there are always customers looking for it."
If a developer produces a Christian game that's both high quality and decently priced, Cook predicts the product would sell well.
"There's definitely people out there waiting for something," he said.
A dancing success
One Christian-themed game has sold out at John's Christian Stores.
It's called "Dance Praise Party." And Steve and Katie Willemssen count themselves among the fans of the Christian clone of the popular "Dance Dance Revolution."
Every Friday night at the their Aurora home, the couple and many of their 30-something friends gather around the television for a "Dance Praise Party" contest.
Only they're not bringing "SexyBack" with Justin Timberlake. Instead, they're getting down to Audio Adrenaline, a Christian band.
Steve Willemssen is the decided John Travolta of the group - wowing the crowd whenever it's his turn on the dance mat.
"We probably wouldn't have gotten one if it wasn't Christian, because the music these days is horrible," Katie Willemssen said. "The lyrics today, we would never appreciate something like that. So it's cool that the Christian market is coming up with something - that kids and adults now have an alternative to DDR."
Bean is one of the creators of "Dance Praise Party." He said the reason for the product's success is a lot of time spent on his knees asking God for guidance.
"You really want to make sure that this is what the Lord wants you to do," Bean said.
To that end, Bean said the future for Christian video game makers is to produce products for the big console systems like PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
"You ask yourself: What Christian titles have come out that have used good technology, had a good story and glued together good activities with a subtle message?" Bean said. "Is the product of equal quality as the same non-Christian games released at the same time, or did they do a value job on a Christian product?"
So where can Christians find those games?
"I haven't seen it," Bean confessed. "But I'd like to see it."
Tuesday
Fans back Floyd Landis in Wheaton, but ...
They wouldn't be surprised if cyclist is found to have cheated in 2006 Tour de France
BY JAMES FULLER
jfuller@dailyherald.com
(Tanit Jarusan/tjarusan@dailyherald.com)
Floyd Landis emerged from last year's Tour de France with both a yellow jersey and a heap of controversy about doping on his shoulders, but local cycling fans stood by him Monday even while bracing for disappointment.
Landis appeared at Borders in Wheaton Monday to sign his new book, "Positively False."Not one person would say Landis was, no doubt, a cheater in a non-scientific poll of people coming to see Landis.
That's not a shocking outcome for a crowd that gave Landis a standing ovation, bought every copy of the book in the store and then waited in line more than two hours to have it signed.
Perhaps more interesting was why they support Landis.
A good portion of the crowd, especially enthusiasts who turned out in bicycle shorts, believe there were flawed methods in the doping test Landis failed.
That's the same argument Landis has put forward for the past year. Some fans had other theories.
Tom Johnson, of Wheaton, said he'd believe in Landis' innocence even if Landis had illegal drugs in his system.
"It wouldn't shock me if someone put something in his drinks without him knowing," Johnson said. "It's not like the stuff is hard to come by. Someone probably did it in exchange for $25."
Kellyanne Thomas' view was similar to many others in that, as a fan, she wants to believe Landis is innocent. But she wouldn't be shocked if Landis was guilty.
Indeed, the names of Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds came up more than once, indicating cynicism about baseball's steroid scandal has already numbed fans to the possible fall of another sports hero.
Thomas, of LaGrange, cited Landis' visible anger when he crossed the finish line and immediately after as very counter to the man she met at the book signing, and a possible sign of " 'roid rage."
"It's the only thing that, if I hadn't seen that, I'd have no reason for suspicion," Thomas said.
Others said there's so much confusion now that there's no way anyone will ever know for sure if Landis cheated or not.
Steve Lindeen of Wheaton said Landis has given the testing methods enough of a black eye with his accusations of shoddy labs and tainted measurements that even a final court ruling against Landis can't be trusted. A ruling in favor of Landis wouldn't be definitive, either, but decidedly better for cycling, he said.
"He says he's innocent," Lindeen said. "For the good of the sport, I think that it's very important he's innocent because he's said he is."
BY JAMES FULLER
jfuller@dailyherald.com
(Tanit Jarusan/tjarusan@dailyherald.com)
Floyd Landis emerged from last year's Tour de France with both a yellow jersey and a heap of controversy about doping on his shoulders, but local cycling fans stood by him Monday even while bracing for disappointment.
Landis appeared at Borders in Wheaton Monday to sign his new book, "Positively False."Not one person would say Landis was, no doubt, a cheater in a non-scientific poll of people coming to see Landis.
That's not a shocking outcome for a crowd that gave Landis a standing ovation, bought every copy of the book in the store and then waited in line more than two hours to have it signed.
Perhaps more interesting was why they support Landis.
A good portion of the crowd, especially enthusiasts who turned out in bicycle shorts, believe there were flawed methods in the doping test Landis failed.
That's the same argument Landis has put forward for the past year. Some fans had other theories.
Tom Johnson, of Wheaton, said he'd believe in Landis' innocence even if Landis had illegal drugs in his system.
"It wouldn't shock me if someone put something in his drinks without him knowing," Johnson said. "It's not like the stuff is hard to come by. Someone probably did it in exchange for $25."
Kellyanne Thomas' view was similar to many others in that, as a fan, she wants to believe Landis is innocent. But she wouldn't be shocked if Landis was guilty.
Indeed, the names of Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds came up more than once, indicating cynicism about baseball's steroid scandal has already numbed fans to the possible fall of another sports hero.
Thomas, of LaGrange, cited Landis' visible anger when he crossed the finish line and immediately after as very counter to the man she met at the book signing, and a possible sign of " 'roid rage."
"It's the only thing that, if I hadn't seen that, I'd have no reason for suspicion," Thomas said.
Others said there's so much confusion now that there's no way anyone will ever know for sure if Landis cheated or not.
Steve Lindeen of Wheaton said Landis has given the testing methods enough of a black eye with his accusations of shoddy labs and tainted measurements that even a final court ruling against Landis can't be trusted. A ruling in favor of Landis wouldn't be definitive, either, but decidedly better for cycling, he said.
"He says he's innocent," Lindeen said. "For the good of the sport, I think that it's very important he's innocent because he's said he is."
Monday
‘So many times they wrote him off’
Aid for Villa Park boy overcoming premature birth might be running out
By James Fuller
jfuller@dailyherald.com
Kelly Walker felt the warm glow of motherhood as she left her doctor’s office the afternoon of Jan. 3, 2004. Her ultrasound showed healthy twins.
A mounting terror erased that feeling when she went into labor at 11 p.m. that night. Mason and Grace weren’t due until April 11, Easter weekend.
“I thought, ‘There’s no way this is happening. They’re three months early. How can they live?’” Walker recalled.
Three years later, Walker finds herself asking that question about Mason again. The family’s insurance is tapped out. Mason no longer qualifies for nursing care through public aid. Soon, all the help Mason needs may vanish.
Now the Walkers are hoping a bowling fundraiser next weekend will help keep Mason moving forward.
Baby steps
Grace triggered the premature birth. Her placenta was 30 percent detached, torn and filling with blood. It was either birth or death.
Hours later, Mason and Grace entered the world in miniature. Their footprints were the length of two quarters with little nubs for toes.
Despite their size, there was relief.
The twins survived their tumultuous birth. The worst seemed to be over as the twins began their incubator lives and the path to going home to Villa Park.
Grace took that path. Mason followed another.
A week into Mason’s life he developed a bruise on the top of his right foot. Doctors attributed it to an awkward sleeping position.
A few days later, when it appeared to worsen, the bruise was traced to needle pokes Mason received during his care. His foot was treated with cream and wrapped in gauze.
It didn’t help. Mason’s tiny body swelled with so much infection his father, Joe, feared his skin would burst. Mason ballooned from a 2-pound premie into 10 pounds of sick child.
Doctors determined Mason had an E. coli infection stemming from a small hole in his intestines.
The mysterious hole healed, but the infection was so severe that medical staff told the Walkers they should take their son’s toys home and prepare for his death.
“They told me they’d never seen anyone that sick live,” Kelly Walker said.
Mason’s body wasn’t ridding itself of the toxins. He hadn’t urinated in a week. That’s when Kelly Walker had an idea.
She told the doctors to try putting his hand in a cup of warm water. After some hesitancy, the staff gave it a shot and Mason responded just like one of Kelly’s friends had done at an ill-fated teenage sleepover.
Mason’s swelling ebbed, but his right foot grew ever worse, eventually tearing open in several places. He received a pig skin graft to close the wounds, but the infection spread to his hip.
A year’s worth of failed attempts to save Mason’s foot followed.
“It was a mangled mess,” Kelly Walker said.
Amputation was the only option left. The infection also stunted the formation of Mason’s hip socket. His right leg would grow at a far slower rate than his left, requiring a prosthesis that makes it look like Mason’s calf was amputated as well.
Now the boy who shouldn’t be alive is 3 years old.
“So many times they wrote him off, and so many times he’s proven them wrong,” Kelly Walker said.
Helping hands
Mason is looking to prove everyone wrong again by learning to walk on his own with the help of therapists at Easter Seals and his nurse, Kathleen Brannon.
It’s Tuesday and that means speech, physical and occupational therapy.
A web of eight bungee cords strapped to a cage on one end and a harness on the other holds Mason upright. Mary Wyler coaxes Mason to perform various exercises while also finding enough entertainment to soothe the rambunctious toddler.
“I want No. 5,” Mason says.
It’s a reference to the “Thomas the Tank Engine” children’s show that Mason currently is obsessed with.
“No. 5 is James,” Mason says. Indeed, he knows all the characters by their names, numbers and faces.
Wyler strategically places the toy train so Mason must lean back and do a sit-up to reach it. Mason’s muscles are underdeveloped. He uses a walker pushed mostly with his left leg to get around. He can’t stand on his own. Yet.
“Are you gonna walk, Mr. Walker?” Brannon asks, shifting Mason over to a treadmill.
“I’m ready,” he replies.
The treadmill also has a harness. It lowers Mason to a standing position on the tread, which moves as slowly as 0.1 mph. Mason intersperses walking with other exercises, such as kicking toy police cars off the treadmill with his prosthetic leg.
This is remarkable progress for Mason. When he first started therapy he was so weak that sometimes he’d stop breathing while trying to lift his head.
Now he’s a little Godzilla on the treadmill, deflecting all would-be objects near his legs.
Once complete, it’s time for Linda Merry to concentrate on some of Mason’s fine motor skills. Mason’s nervous system also is underdeveloped. For instance, he began with no instinctual concept of the danger of letting go while swinging on a swing. Climbing over balls and mats requires a thought process Mason still is developing.
His nerves also are hypersensitive. Touching something like grass or clay can feel so unusual to Mason that it scares him.
“OK, big guy,” Merry says to Mason. “Are you ready to play?”
“OK,” Mason responds. It’s his favorite reply, even when it’s obvious he’d rather not do the requested activity. It’s also not unusual for him to request a hug now and then.
Mason concentrates on twisting lids, drawing vertical lines and pulling putty apart, all of which require coordinated muscle use.
“It’s not all about the legs,” Merry said. “It’s about maximizing strengths to minimize his weaknesses.”
Financial obstacles
Mason is much more capable than he would be otherwise thanks to all the care he receives.
But he’ll still need a lifetime of therapy.
Without some financial help, backward steps may be the first he takes.
One of the first things he’ll lose is Brannon, his nurse. Public aid won’t pay for her anymore because Mason is healthy enough to avoid a hospital stay without her. All told, it’s a $3,600-a-month cost the Walkers can’t afford.
“Without a doubt, if he didn’t have the therapy and extra help that he gets, he would just crumble and not be the same as he is today,” Kelly Walker said. “He has come so far. He’s come from the dead. It crushes me to think that he could go completely backward.”
By James Fuller
jfuller@dailyherald.com
Kelly Walker felt the warm glow of motherhood as she left her doctor’s office the afternoon of Jan. 3, 2004. Her ultrasound showed healthy twins.
A mounting terror erased that feeling when she went into labor at 11 p.m. that night. Mason and Grace weren’t due until April 11, Easter weekend.
“I thought, ‘There’s no way this is happening. They’re three months early. How can they live?’” Walker recalled.
Three years later, Walker finds herself asking that question about Mason again. The family’s insurance is tapped out. Mason no longer qualifies for nursing care through public aid. Soon, all the help Mason needs may vanish.
Now the Walkers are hoping a bowling fundraiser next weekend will help keep Mason moving forward.
Baby steps
Grace triggered the premature birth. Her placenta was 30 percent detached, torn and filling with blood. It was either birth or death.
Hours later, Mason and Grace entered the world in miniature. Their footprints were the length of two quarters with little nubs for toes.
Despite their size, there was relief.
The twins survived their tumultuous birth. The worst seemed to be over as the twins began their incubator lives and the path to going home to Villa Park.
Grace took that path. Mason followed another.
A week into Mason’s life he developed a bruise on the top of his right foot. Doctors attributed it to an awkward sleeping position.
A few days later, when it appeared to worsen, the bruise was traced to needle pokes Mason received during his care. His foot was treated with cream and wrapped in gauze.
It didn’t help. Mason’s tiny body swelled with so much infection his father, Joe, feared his skin would burst. Mason ballooned from a 2-pound premie into 10 pounds of sick child.
Doctors determined Mason had an E. coli infection stemming from a small hole in his intestines.
The mysterious hole healed, but the infection was so severe that medical staff told the Walkers they should take their son’s toys home and prepare for his death.
“They told me they’d never seen anyone that sick live,” Kelly Walker said.
Mason’s body wasn’t ridding itself of the toxins. He hadn’t urinated in a week. That’s when Kelly Walker had an idea.
She told the doctors to try putting his hand in a cup of warm water. After some hesitancy, the staff gave it a shot and Mason responded just like one of Kelly’s friends had done at an ill-fated teenage sleepover.
Mason’s swelling ebbed, but his right foot grew ever worse, eventually tearing open in several places. He received a pig skin graft to close the wounds, but the infection spread to his hip.
A year’s worth of failed attempts to save Mason’s foot followed.
“It was a mangled mess,” Kelly Walker said.
Amputation was the only option left. The infection also stunted the formation of Mason’s hip socket. His right leg would grow at a far slower rate than his left, requiring a prosthesis that makes it look like Mason’s calf was amputated as well.
Now the boy who shouldn’t be alive is 3 years old.
“So many times they wrote him off, and so many times he’s proven them wrong,” Kelly Walker said.
Helping hands
Mason is looking to prove everyone wrong again by learning to walk on his own with the help of therapists at Easter Seals and his nurse, Kathleen Brannon.
It’s Tuesday and that means speech, physical and occupational therapy.
A web of eight bungee cords strapped to a cage on one end and a harness on the other holds Mason upright. Mary Wyler coaxes Mason to perform various exercises while also finding enough entertainment to soothe the rambunctious toddler.
“I want No. 5,” Mason says.
It’s a reference to the “Thomas the Tank Engine” children’s show that Mason currently is obsessed with.
“No. 5 is James,” Mason says. Indeed, he knows all the characters by their names, numbers and faces.
Wyler strategically places the toy train so Mason must lean back and do a sit-up to reach it. Mason’s muscles are underdeveloped. He uses a walker pushed mostly with his left leg to get around. He can’t stand on his own. Yet.
“Are you gonna walk, Mr. Walker?” Brannon asks, shifting Mason over to a treadmill.
“I’m ready,” he replies.
The treadmill also has a harness. It lowers Mason to a standing position on the tread, which moves as slowly as 0.1 mph. Mason intersperses walking with other exercises, such as kicking toy police cars off the treadmill with his prosthetic leg.
This is remarkable progress for Mason. When he first started therapy he was so weak that sometimes he’d stop breathing while trying to lift his head.
Now he’s a little Godzilla on the treadmill, deflecting all would-be objects near his legs.
Once complete, it’s time for Linda Merry to concentrate on some of Mason’s fine motor skills. Mason’s nervous system also is underdeveloped. For instance, he began with no instinctual concept of the danger of letting go while swinging on a swing. Climbing over balls and mats requires a thought process Mason still is developing.
His nerves also are hypersensitive. Touching something like grass or clay can feel so unusual to Mason that it scares him.
“OK, big guy,” Merry says to Mason. “Are you ready to play?”
“OK,” Mason responds. It’s his favorite reply, even when it’s obvious he’d rather not do the requested activity. It’s also not unusual for him to request a hug now and then.
Mason concentrates on twisting lids, drawing vertical lines and pulling putty apart, all of which require coordinated muscle use.
“It’s not all about the legs,” Merry said. “It’s about maximizing strengths to minimize his weaknesses.”
Financial obstacles
Mason is much more capable than he would be otherwise thanks to all the care he receives.
But he’ll still need a lifetime of therapy.
Without some financial help, backward steps may be the first he takes.
One of the first things he’ll lose is Brannon, his nurse. Public aid won’t pay for her anymore because Mason is healthy enough to avoid a hospital stay without her. All told, it’s a $3,600-a-month cost the Walkers can’t afford.
“Without a doubt, if he didn’t have the therapy and extra help that he gets, he would just crumble and not be the same as he is today,” Kelly Walker said. “He has come so far. He’s come from the dead. It crushes me to think that he could go completely backward.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)