Maddie Makes the Paper
Back in November of 2020, Maddie contracted Covid. We did everything we could to avoid this. We limited access to Maddie, she didn’t go out in public, she was a quarantine baby. However with both Nicole and I working in healthcare, Covid 19 came to visit. Maddie’s symptoms were pretty mild at first. She spiked a fever for two days, which we treated with Motrin and Tylenol.
A few weeks later, Maddie’s cough intensified. We brought her into the local urgent care. The first time we brought her in, the physician on staff listened to her lungs. They sounded clear, so they sent us home. A mother’s instinct is rarely wrong though. Nicole took Maddie in two days after the first urgent care visit, they relented and did a chest x ray. Our daughter had pneumonia. The doctors debated whether to admit Maddie to the hospital. They sent her home with medication and strict instructions. It was a long journey, but by February Maddie was finally on the mend.
Maddie was 5 months old when she contracted Covid. She was hitting all of her milestones. She was rolling a bit, and lifting her head up. After contracting Covid, Maddie would not roll on her own again until May 2021. With a pause in Maddie’s development, we were referred to a pediatric physiatrist. Maddie began physical therapy in April of 2021.
Maddie seemed to be picking up some steam again. There were some alarming signs in regards to head size, but all in all we could see progress. They chaulked Maddie’s pause in development to a post Covid delay. Remember, we were only a year into the pandemic. There wasn’t much research out there. There were anecdotal stories coming out of Asia in regards to children contracting Covid. Mostly these stories were coming out of the Philippines.
As the months rolled by, the Detroit Free Press reached out to Mary Free Bed. They specifically wanted to cover stories on children who were considered Covid long haulers. Mary Free Bed selected Maddie, and another child to be the face of the story. I must admit, it was pretty exciting to have our daughter as the subject of a story in the Free Press.
I went into work talking about this exciting development. Jokingly I started to ask people if they wanted to be in my entourage. I also told them that when I made it big, I wouldn’t forget about them. I told them I wouldn’t talk to them, but I wouldn’t forget about them.
On a warm sunny day, a reporter came out to our house. She asked various questions. I must admit it was weird talking about ourselves. I caught myself trying not to sound like a simpleton, but I also didn’t want to pontificate. Nicole was brilliant through it all. The reporter left, and we didn’t hear much for a few weeks. Turns out there were multiple reporters collecting stories throughout the state. Some of these reporters were pulled off of the stories because Miguel Cabrera was about to hit his 500th home run. Even though Maddie’s a rockstar, Miggy has a little more star power.
Miggy went on to hit his 500th home run, and soon after a photographer came to one of Maddie’s therapy sessions. After this session, the photographer followed us home. We were told to act normal, but it's strange to have a man with a camera inside of your home. He refused our hospitality and we tried to settle in. We fed Maddie some lunch, and read her a story before laying her down for an afternoon nap.
The story was complete. We were told we would receive a heads up before the story went to print. They did warn us that the USA Today might pick up the story as well. We waited and waited. All in all it was only a few weeks but it started to feel like the story wouldn’t print. Nicole and I thought we came across as too boring. Oh well, back to our everyday lives.
That’s when I received a text from Nicole while I was at work. It was a screenshot of the front page of the USA Today. There was Maddie, right on the front page. What an exciting feeling that was. I rushed out to buy a copy, but surprisingly not many places carry the USA Today in Muskegon. I stopped at 16 different stores and gas stations. Finally there it was, our daughter on the front page. The same day, the Detroit Free Press also ran Maddie’s story.
Now there needs to be some clarification. In no way did Covid 19 cause Maddie’s Angelman Syndrome. It was all just happenstance. Typically with Angelman Syndrome, noticeable delays start appearing right around the 5 to 6 month mark in a child’s life. This was right in line with Maddie contracting Covid.
Covid was a blessing in disguise looking back on the whole situation. Hindsight is 20/20, but I’m not sure we would have started therapy as quickly as we did. In fact, getting the Mary Free Bed team together as soon as we did, gave us a huge advantage. We were able to find people who started to help Maddie, before her diagnosis. Early intervention can make all the difference in the world.
While it was nice to tell Maddie’s story, our 15 minutes of fame faded. I like it that way. We might live a quiet life, but it’s a great life. Maddie’s still our little rockstar and the centerpiece of our family. God has blessed our house, what more could anyone need.
Maddie’s Yahoo News Story: Uncharted Territory
-Written by Adam Birchmeier
