Jackson Stephen Allen
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Jackson was born Aug. 4th in Jackson Hole Wyoming. I had a perfectly healthy pregnancy and my husband Brian and I had just unpacked the last box and finished painting
Jackson's room in our new apartment! Within hours, Jackson arrived, 2 weeks early. I had a wonderful, 5 hour drug free labor. When Jackson came out he was floppy. My heart stopped! I thought I would be able to hold him, but instead he was rushed to a warming table where the small town
docs tried to figure out what was wrong. Jackson had a very small jaw and was struggling to breath on his own. He also had malformed ears. After 5 long
scary hours the life flight team arrived to transport him to Salt Lake City. They were able to intibate him and since I had passed out from a petosin shot, my husband and son were air transported to SLC. I arrived the next afternoon with my mom and sister who had drove to Jackson hole from Seattle the night before. At Primary
Children's Hospital in SLC, they decided that Jackson had Treacher Collins. He has bilateral choanal atresia, small malformed ears and a small jaw. He was trached on his 6th day of life and took to it really well right away. We had to stay in the SLC hospital for 1 month while the Dr.'s in Jackson Hole passed the news around and
collectively decided they didn't want to be responsible for a trach baby! So, after 1 day of thinking about it, we were needless to say really ready to get out of the hospital and be together SOMEWHERE! It was very hard to leave Jackson hole, we had everything set up to enjoy our son and each other there, but instead we moved to where the good hospitals are... now we live in Boston, MA! Long story really, but the bottom line is Jackson is great, he does not have Treacher Collins, the Dr.s are calling it bilateral hemifacial microsomia. He is 7 months tomorrow with no instance of illness or problems with his trach! He has a bone conduction hearing aid and does great with it. We hope to have his atresia and jaw fixed between 18 months and 2 years. He will always need a hearing aid, but when he is about 6 we can fix his ears if he wants to! We feel so lucky to have our
beautiful happy boy!
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Update, October 2003: Jackson Allen is headed toward jaw surgery in one month! Hoping to have the trach out by next summer!
Update, January 2004: Jackson had his distraction surgery on Dec. 9, 2003 at Mass General in Boston. Dr. Kaban and Dr. Maria Troulis---would highly recommend them to all distraction candidates!!!! We were done actually turning the pins on Christmas. He went from a 3mm airway to a 15 mm airway and is just now starting vocalizing again and moving his mouth a bit more. What a tremendous New Year! We hope to have decannulation happening in the next 2-3 months!!! It's hard to believe! What a difference to everything, his breathing, his looks, his speech, we look forward to swimming and skiing and getting on with it all!!!
This has been such a great resource for tracheostomy information and support! Thank you! See photo. I'll keep you posted on decannulation!!! Thanks! Kelly Allen
- New photos of the pins and the final result of jaw distraction surgery. March 2004.
Update March 2005: Hello, We are happy to say Jackson has been decannulated since late December and is doing great! Thank you for this great website, it has been so helpful!
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