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HESPERIA — Royane Walker said her 15-year-old granddaughter, who is unable to able to communicate verbally, is the best spokeswoman for bringing awareness to shaken baby syndrome.
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Walker said her granddaughter, Madison, was shaken so severely as an infant that she’s now a quadriplegic who is almost blind, has no bladder or bowel control and suffers from a variety of other health issues.
in Hesperia how deeply she loves her granddaughter. Walker and her husband, Dave, adopted Madison over a decade ago.As a smiling Madison sat in her wheelchair at the front of a classroom, her nurse monitoring her breathing, Walker explained to her students at I Avenue Community School
“Madison’s brain was damaged to the extent that she has the intelligence of a six-week- old,” said Walker, as the eyes of each student were riveted on Madison. “She loves little noises like dripping water and the sounds that we make for her.”
Holding a small Mason jar that contained an uncracked raw egg, Walker shook the jar vigorously for three seconds to demonstrate what occurred to Madison’s brain when her biological father shook her as an infant.
Tears streamed down the face of a few students as the egg broke open and filled the jar with the yellow liquid. A few students gasped.
“This is what happened to Madison’s brain after being shaken for a few seconds,” Walker said. “There’s nothing you can do to put this egg back together and there’s nothing we can do to fix her brain.”
Walker told the Daily Press that “Madison is a special girl” who is helping to spread the message that “it’s better to put the crying baby down and walk away” than to lose control and unleash anger on an innocent child.
According to Walker, who lives in Lucerne Valley, because of several legal issues associated with Madison’s situation, the Walkers decided to adopt her. She added that her own daughter, Madison’s mom, is still very much involved in Madison’s life.
As Madison’s nurse, Jeanette Nicole, helped clear the teenager’s airway, Walker explained how Madison takes 24 medications each day, requires a CPAP machine to help her breath when she sleeps, and wears braces on her arms and legs to prevent cramping.
“Her hip sockets never developed so she can’t walk and she has a scar from her neck down to her lower back where they inserted a metal rod,” Walker said. “We know that her body is hurting, but we try to keep her pain free.”
As Nicole revealed Madison’s abdominal feeding tube, Walker said Madison will never enjoy the taste of pizza or ice cream, or will live a normal life, “All because of three seconds of shaking.”
Walker told the class that Madison loves when she and her husband make funny noises, and smiles when she hears Roxanne Walker pull up in the driveway.
Because Madison is captivated by colorful images, the Walkers have strung Christmas lights over Madison’s bed and have invited others to trace their hands on a piece of paper and cover them with bright colors so they can be placed on the walls of Madison’s room.
“People can also write words of encouragement on the hands,” Walker said. “We’ll cover the walls of Madison’s room with these hands of love.”
As Walker spoke to the class, a large suitcase filled with medications, supplies and other life-sustaining items for Madison sat nearby. Walker said the suitcase is always at the ready in the event of a local, state or national emergency where supplies could be cut off.
“Madison is just about your age so you can relate to her in that way,” Walker told the class. “When we get older, people tend not to be as compassionate toward those who are suffering. I want you to look at Madison and understand that one moment of anger can change the life of so many.”
Walker explained to the class that SBS or Abusive Head Trauma also may lead to learning disabilities, physical disabilities, visual disabilities or blindness, hearing impairment, speech disabilities, cerebral palsy, seizures, behavior disorders, cognitive impairment or death.
The leading cause of physical child abuse in the U.S. is SBS/AHT, with a frustration with a baby crying the No. 1 trigger for shaking the baby, experts say. Approximately 25 percent of babies die as a result of SBS/AHT, the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome reported.
“The physicians told us she would not live past 5 years old, but she’s still with us and we’re so thankful for that,” Walker said. “You have to really love someone to sacrifice everything to care for them.”
Handprints can be mailed to Madison Walker, P.O. Box 1726, Lucerne Valley, CA, 92356. For more information on the National Center for Shaken Baby Syndrome, visit www.dontshake.org.
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