Thursday, September 29, 2005

Thursday

Drew is doing good. She is staying at a steady 8 pounds 8 ounces and is really starting to fill out.

She had a MRI done yesterday and we got the results today. They found a small infart on the right side of her brain which mean she possibly had a small stroke the night we took her to the ER. They are not too worried about it because she has shown no signs of developmental delays. We will wait until she is older to follow up with a neurologist.

She tried rolling over today and is smiling alot. She still sleeps all day long and is awake most of the night, we will have to figure that one out soon before she comes home. Her respiratory rate is going down finally, showing she is on the right path. I will start posting pictures as soon as Steve shows me how. Haha!

Monday, September 26, 2005

Update

Sorry it took a while to give an update. Steve stayed with Drew during the hurricane. They lost power but had generators so everything kicked back on right away. Rylie and I stayed at my parents where the electricity went out at 2 am. Steve called us at 9 am and said that we had electricity at our house so we all packed up and headed to my house for a/c. Everyone is fine but a few family members of ours who lived where the hurricane hit have lost everything. :(
We have been trying to help them out the past couple of days.

I was finally able to go and see Drew yesterday. We bought her a bouncy seat and she was in heaven. My little sweet pea needed something else to do besides just lay there.
Dr Guietrez said he is going to do an MRI on her this week maybe tomorrow to check to make sure all of her brain function is okay due to the hard hit she took the night we brought her to the ER.
We did find out a few things about the night in the Er that we were never told until recently. The doctor told us she was "null of life" after they got an IV run in her and the breathing machine was the only reason she was alive. All of her numbers were so low that it was basically impossible for her to be alive. Thank you God for letting us keep our baby girl. She is a complete miracle.
Drew still has a bit of a road ahead of her so please keep her in your prayers.
The doctor said we will discuss things again when she reaches 9 pounds. Her weight is still up and down but she is almost there.

Friday, September 23, 2005

2 Hurricanes and she is only 6 weeks old

Drew is doing good. She slept most of the day yesterday.
I have to stay away from the hospital because I am sick with a head cold. I am not taking any chances on getting her sick. The nurses told us that Steve, Rylie, and I could all stay at the hospital if wanted to. If Rylie and I can stay in a seperate room then we might go and Steve would stay in Drew's room.
The hospital Drew is at has no plans to evacuate at this moment. The are working on figuring out an evacuation plan if need be but this time Drew would be on the bottom of the list because there are alot more babies in NICU sicker than her. We are just praying the hurricane doesn't turn to the right.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Update

Drew had surgery yesterday, everything went well. She now has a PIC line for future use. Now we don't have to worry about her loosing any more IV's.

She is doing really well. We are letting the antibodics finish their course. When her blood cultures come back negative for infection and she starts feeding better, she should be able to go home. (2-4 Weeks)

We will perform her final surgery once she get's a little stonger, giving this recent trama some time...(3-8 Months)

Monday, September 19, 2005

She is a pin cushion

My poor little Drew has turned into a pin cushion. :( They tried all last night to get a new iv line on Drew. Her little veins keep rolling over. They have now decided to do a central line which lasts longer than the previous lines which only last a few days because her veins keep blowing. They called the nurse who was certified in doing pic lines (central lines). She finally came around 3:30 today and tried 2 times while little Drew was screaming her head off. The whole process lasted 30 minutes and she could not get her vein. They decided to give her something to sedate her. Well, she threw that up but she still got enough to knock her out. They tried again, still nothing.
I just called there and the nurse said they were going to try again in an hour. Please pray that it works because if not she will have to have a surgery to get the line put in. And even then they won't be able to do that until Wednesday. They said the next step will be to shave her head and try and get a line there. Her hair finally just starting growing longer.
And just to top everything off now they have a potential hurricane headed our way.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Saturday Update

Well we got the wrong info. The clot is still there but the doctor is not too worried about it as long as it is not growing.
They were going to take her off of one of the antibiotics but her cutures came back with bacteria still growing. So they are going to do some more bloodwork.
The doctor told us today that she may have to have surgery in the next few weeks if she does not grow into that band on her artery. So right now we just need prayer that she starts gaining alot more weight.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Update

Drew is doing awesome; they removed her heart line with no complications. There also are no signs of a blood clot, and all her blood cultures came back negative for infection. She currently weights 8.5lbs. and her heart rate is dropping little by little each day. God is faithful to his Word, He has made Drew very strong… every obstacle that Drew faces, she overcomes. Thank you for your support & prayers...

Psalm 91

Psalm 91 - The Message
You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow, Say this: "GOD, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!" That's right--He rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you-- under them you're perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing--not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because GOD's your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says GOD, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!" A Sabbath song

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Wednesday Update


Drew is having her heart line pulled out today; the doctor doesn't seem to be concerned about the clot or infection around the line.

She lost a little bit of weight overnight and is still breathing fast, Drew is strong and will gain the weight required… It just takes time.

Thank you for all the prayers and support…

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Tuesday Update

Drew is going good! She has gained 7oz. in the past 24 hours.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Steve as a baby!


Drew is doing good, she gained 1 oz today...
Everyone is trying to decide who she looks like, so here is a picture of me as a baby. Please ignore the bedspread & outfit... Sorry Mom!

I will upload a picture of Brandy as soon I find one...

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Sunday Update


Drew is looking good, she now has a full size crib in her hospital room! She is full of smiles and told me she is ready to come home! I spoke to Dr. Gutierrez this morning; all Drew's blood cultures came back negative for infection. They are keeping her on antibiotics for the next 3 weeks to make sure nothing comes back. Right now she needs to grow into the pulmonary band on her heart. If she doesn't gain weight she may have to have an additional surgery to adjust the banding. Let’s pray that she tolerates her feeds and gains some weight to allow the pulmanory band to do it's job...

Friday, September 09, 2005

Friday Update


We were called to the hospital this morning. Drew is having some heart failure. They think the pulmonary band is to loose and want her to grow into it. She also has an infection in her heart (Endocarditis). They are giving her some antibotics and keeping a close eye on her. Please keep her in your prayers... Thank you for all the support

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Tuesday Update

Drew is doing well, she is so sweet. I was able to hold her tonight; she kept looking me up and down the whole time.

Dr. Gutierrez, her cardiologist called and said she had a urinary track infection. He also mentioned that she has a small clot at the end of the catheter in her heart. He is worried about it enlarging or dislodging into her lungs. We are praying it will dissolve and not create any complications.

Brandy and I want to express our gratitude for everyone’s prayers and support. Thank you for helping us in providing food, furniture, clothing and shelter to our new friends from Tulane.

• Charlotte, Drew's nurse at Tulane found an apartment and moved in today.
• Baby Jackson's mom found a job and a place to live.
• The other doctors and nurses have found refuge with family and friends, and a few have purchased homes in the area.

Thanks again for pulling together and lending a hand.

Steve & Brandy Schaaf
215 Belle Maison Dr.
Lafayette, LA 70506

I’d rather 1% of 100 people’s effort than 100% of my own.
J. Paul Getty

Drew Schaaf

Monday, September 05, 2005

Monday update


She is now off of oxygen too. So no more tubes anywhere on her face. YAY!!!!
We went to see her today for a bit and she was sleeping so we did not stay that long because she needed to rest and get better and any little noise we made irritated her and woke her up. But she is doing good. The next hurdle we have to face is getting her to eat out of a bottle. If she does not do well with the bottle they will have to put a "button" on her which is a tube from her stomach and I will have to feed her through that. So please pray that she starts to eat on her own and can be released out of the hospital with a perfect bill of health.
The doctor told us today that she will remain in the hospital for at least another 8 days. So we will be working on her feedings for the next 8 days.
Drew looks absolutely great and so beautiful.
Thank you to everyone for all of your support.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Tulane doctor recounts chaos

Tulane doctor recounts chaos, uncertainty, eventual escape
By NED RANDOLPH

Advocate business writer Tulane surgeon David Yu reported to work last Sunday with a pair of "scrubs" and a couple of changes of clothes. As most New Orleanians, he expected to be home in a few days.
Katrina developed into the most destructive hurricane to strike the United States, sending 135 mph winds pounding against the walls of Tulane University Hospital and Clinic where Yu spent most of the week.
His is one story of the thousands of people stranded in the chaos of what was once New Orleans.
When he went to bed Monday night, New Orleans was intact.
Five days later, the second-year resident had lost his house, was shot at while in a National Guard truck, and declined an airlift out of New Orleans to stay with his patients.
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Monday
The winds had knocked the power out, but Tulane Hospital was open, humming along on diesel generators.
The streets were dry, and some staff went home. The 150 patients and 300 to 400 staff members were safe, Yu said.
The Monday night breach of the 17th Street Canal changed the character of the storm and New Orleans forever.
"We woke up Tuesday morning, and the water was there," Yu said Saturday. "We lost generator power when the water rose."
The hospital's parent company, Columbia/HCA, ordered -- at it's own expense -- an airlift to remove the patients.
The critically-ill were lifted from the hospital's garage rooftop, as the streets filled with stranded people.
New Orleans residents waded through cruddy, waist-deep water, carrying belongings over their heads and looking for higher ground.
"There were thousands of people on the I-10 ramp on Tuesday and Wednesday, just standing out on the highway, waiting for someone to come get them," he said.
The hospital's emergency phones and lobby pay phones offered sporadic contact with Charity Hospital down the street. No one could reach University Hospital.
"We had no idea what was going on. We heard University had already evacuated," he said.
Tuesday night
In the darkness, nothing seemed to move. "It was surreal."
With only hand-held flashlights in the uncertain darkness, the staff and family members waited.
"Other than Tulane getting people out by private means, we didn't see any evacuation effort," he said.
Yu knew people were at the Superdome from pictures before the storm, but he couldn't see them. And then there were rumors of unrest.
That night, the airlift resumed.
Wednesday morning
"Every day from Wednesday to Friday, I don't know if it was rumors, but we were being told specifically that the Army was coming," he said.
On Wednesday night, they could see bus headlights on the interstate.
"We couldn't do anything after dark because of security," he said. "You could hear gunshots."
Yu and his colleagues were armed only with stethoscopes.
"Every morning I woke up expecting to see the Army in the streets. But no one came."
A National Guard unit on the ground was securing the Dome and "helping where they could," Yu said.
Critical patients were moved from Charity to the Tulane airlift.
"They told us Charity had 200 to 300 patients and almost 1,000 people. They hadn't had any central power or running water since the hurricane hit Monday morning," he said. "They were getting along with just a few generators hooked up to important equipment."
Even when Tulane airlifted away its staff members, Yu stayed behind with some others. They took all of Tulane's food and medicine to Charity by truck.
"Charity was in worse shape. They had much more critical injuries and more people … and less security," he said.
The place stunk of human waste. A stairwell was being used to store bodies after the basement morgue flooded, he said.
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries airboats started arriving with news of people stranded throughout the city.
By airboat, Yu delivered a Nextel two-way radio to the University Hospital surgery staff, where he saw the conditions were even worse than at Charity.
"They had the most patients and people. There were 300 to 400 patients and 1,100 staff and family members," he said.
"The building is much more closed in; it was hotter. The stench was worse," he said. "And they were surrounded by 10 to 12 feet of water because they're in a lower area."
Smoke from a fire filled the air.
"Fortunately, we didn't know the full devastation of the city," he said.
Thursday night
Another night and the worst for many. Mayor Ray Nagin gave a scathing interview on WWL-TV about the inadequate response by the federal government to save his city.
The president held a news conference, and reinforcements arrived.
Boats were landing at University Hospital, and helicopters touched down on its rooftop. "By 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. on Friday we got a call from University that they were clear," he said. "Eleven-hundred people had been evacuated in a half day."
Then the Army turned to Charity. Yu and other doctors carried patients on makeshift stretchers, tabletops and cubicle walls down the building's stairs, and loaded them onto air boats and trucks bound for the Tulane helipad.
Two at a time, patients were loaded onto a pickup truck, driven to the rooftop and loaded onto helicopters.
"They wanted four patients at a time, but we couldn't load them fast enough," he said.
At 6 p.m., Yu and the remaining staff were loaded unto boats and taken to buses. That's when he saw the crowds at the Convention Center.
"We knew there were large groups of people at the Dome and Convention Center … but going over the Crescent City Connection, I saw the crowd," he said. "It was unbelievable. Literally the length of the center, five or six blocks, there were just thousands of people."
Yu arrived in Baton Rouge Friday night and took his first shower in a week. Back in civilization, the Tulane college and medical school graduate joined a growing diaspora of displaced New Orleanians.
"I think I saw the best in people, certainly at the hospitals," he said. "Everyone at the hospitals and staff and family members there were concerned about someone. We were all in the same boat."

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Her Breathing Tube is Out!

Drew was throwing up all last night because she was gagging on her breathing tube. So they either needed to sedate her again or take it out. Obviously the choice was to take it out. Her numbers are all good right now.
We could not see her all morning because any noise aggrivated her and she was moving around to much so we had to stay away. The nurse called around noon and said they took her tube out so Steve and I rushed to the hospital. So was so sweet. Just looking around at us and not fussing or irritated at all. I can't wait to be able to take my sweet baby girl home with us one day.

Our next hurdle will be getting her to eat out of a bottle. She has had a feeding tube this whole time so she may have forgot how to suck, swallow and breath all at the same time.

Please comtinue to keep Drew in your prayers.
Thank you!

More help needed


First of all Drew is doing good.

I have a few more needs to add to Steve's list.
The other family that has a baby in PICU has lost everything. We are asking any of you to try and go through your closets and donate clothes. Baby Jackson (above) may be released from the hospital soon so he needs clothes, diapers and baby essentials. We have recieved a crib for baby Jackson. Thank you Patty and all of her coworkers at Oilfield International for donating all the stuff for this family.
I am just going to give the sizes I know of and we can go from there.
Womens size 6 and 7/8 and shirts size medium.
Mens size 32/32 and shirts size medium.
Baby clothes sizes 0-3 and 3-6 months.
I will get more clothes sizes today from some other families and update later.
THANK YOU!!!!

Friday, September 02, 2005

Friday Update


Dear Family and Friends,

I am sorry I haven’t called everyone and updated you on our survival story. I promise we will update you soon. It is nothing short of miraculous the way God removed us from harms way.

Thank you for your support during this time of need. Our entire family is overwhelmed by the contributions of compassion that have been bestowed upon us by our family and friends.


Everyone is asking us what they can do to help…
Here is my list of problems to solve... Please help in any way you can.

I need to find an apartment for our nurse from Tulane. She has a 3 year old daughter and is taking a job at women’s and children’s hospital. I need to book an apartment before everything is taken up in the Lafayette area. Please work your connections and try to find something for her. Even if you can only call around for me and put it on hold with my credit information.

I also need to find a place for a family from New Orleans to stay. They have a son that is in the same condition as Drew except they have no friends and family supporting them. I need to find temporary shelter for them and their family.

We are waiting to hear from the staff at Tulane. A number of employees that have helped take care of Drew will be in this area soon and be in need a place of shelter until they can get back on their feet. Please let us know of any possible solutions.

For those requesting banking information, you can use the paypal link to support our efforts in helping these families. You can also deposit funds into BANKONE Account 7101336717.

Thanks again
Steve Schaaf

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Thursday

Sorry that no update was given yesterday. Things are a bit crazy.
Drew is still doing good. They are now going to try and dehydrate her to get all the fluid off of her lungs because they will not dry up they are still too wet. Which means if she stays wet the breathing tube stays in. They need to be able to suction her out and the only way to do that is through the breathing tube. They did start her back on breastmilk yesterday and will keep her on it so she can get some nutrition while in the process of being dehydrated. I will try and get another update in tonight after we visit her today.

A Special Thanks

Brandy and I would like to extend our gratitude to Acadian Ambulance for their fast thinking, professionalism, strength and wisdom in rescuing Drew from harms way.


We would also like to extend our gratitude to Air Logistics for delivering generators to Tulane and bringing us home to safety.