Quincy's Quest - The Story
At 7:02 p.m. on April 29, 2013, we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy that we named Quincy. Within minutes he had a seizure. Little did we know that in the few days prior to his birth he had suffered an in-utero stroke that claimed the left side of his brain and a small portion of his right. He spent his first weeks at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in the NICU where we were told he would probably never make it home that at best we would have 10 days with him. But Quincy is a fighter and against the odds did come home but was given an unpromising prognosis as to the amount of time we would be able to enjoy him. Again the doctors gave us only 4 months. They also told us that if he should make it through the 4 months his quality of life would be very limited. They gave us mostly negative answers when we asked the big questions like "will he talk?", "will he walk?", "what will his life be like?"
Our hearts were hurting beyond words. However we were surrounded by circles of love and prayers. Not just our friends and family but people we didn't even know were sending us cards of encouragement. We were hearing that Quincy was on prayer list after prayer list. It was far more then we could have ever imagined. It was at that point that Quincy's Quest was developed. We want to give back and help families that may be going through a similar situation.
Our hearts were hurting beyond words. However we were surrounded by circles of love and prayers. Not just our friends and family but people we didn't even know were sending us cards of encouragement. We were hearing that Quincy was on prayer list after prayer list. It was far more then we could have ever imagined. It was at that point that Quincy's Quest was developed. We want to give back and help families that may be going through a similar situation.
Quincy's Turning 1!
Quincy redefines the word fighter each and every day. He has surpassed the grim beginning prognosis and is still gaining ground each day. Quincy giggles, smiles at his two older brothers, and babbles at his "dada". While the right side is still weak and preventing Quincy from sitting on his own for extended amounts of time he shows great patience and enjoys therapy four times a week with a team of therapists.
In celebration of Quincy's first year we invite you to participate in "Quincy's Quest" to help raise awareness of pediatric stroke. Proceeds from Quincy's Quest will be given to the CHP Ronald McDonald House.
In celebration of Quincy's first year we invite you to participate in "Quincy's Quest" to help raise awareness of pediatric stroke. Proceeds from Quincy's Quest will be given to the CHP Ronald McDonald House.
Quincy's Turning 2! |
Quincy has continued to progress throughout the last year. We have seen extremely exciting milestones occur. We have seen him sit on his own finally so that he can play with his toy and have heard him yell at his "Ike" and "Darter" (his older brothers) when he wants their attention. Most exciting we have seen him take his first steps with the help of a Mustang gait trainer. Something doctors told us never to expect. He continues therapies four days a week with one day having 2.5 hours of therapy in it. Needless to say he is a trooper!
With another year of counting our blessing and the celebration of Quincy's second birthday we hope you will join us in raising awareness for pediatric stroke by joining us for the 2nd Annual Quincy's Quest! |
Unfortunately due to illness, we were not able to celebrate Quincy's 3rd birthday with a race. Quincy ended up spending his third birthday in the hospital and then throughout the summer after his third birthday we had several other hospital stays. We learned that his stroke has caused a vomiting disorder and is a large reason of why he wasn't able to gain weight.
Quincy's Turning 4!
We are fast forwarding to celebrating Quincy's 4th birthday. Quincy is a typical, ornery little guy for the most part. He greatly enjoys his older brothers and thinks they are so funny. He also picks on them as much as they pick on him. Quincy's favorite things are music, Curious George, books chips, really eating in general and hanging out with his Pappy Joe. He keeps us laughing each day with his ornery looks and silliness. Quincy still receives therapies four days a week, but now we juggle between going to the Children's Institute, therapy at preschool, and outpatient therapies. Throughout it all Quincy continues to defy the odds that were stacked against him in the beginning and pushes towards our goals. He's not walking yet but we feel confident it will happen!