I’m training as a nurse to give back after my baby nearly died

This as-told-tos Essay is bassed on a conversation with folichia mitchell, whose daughter, kennedy, ingested a water bead in 2022. Business Insider’s Original Story Promptted target, Which Had Been the Exclusive Seller of the Beads, to Remove the Toy From Its Shelves. IT HAS BEEN EDIted for Length and Clarity.

Be look at my 3 ½ year-op Daughter, Kennedy, Now, i see a healthy, Energetic girl who loves Ballet Dancing, dresing up, and playing with her three brothers.

IT’S HARD to Believe That She Was Fighting for Her Life in the Pediatric ICU AFTER ACCIDENTALLY Swallowing A Water Bead Toy Crawling on the Floor at 10 Months Old.

Her Oldest Brother, Joshua, THEN 9, HAD Been Playing with the Beads, Which Inflate in Water, and We Thought it must have rolled off the kitchen table onto the floor.

Kennedy Needed A Total of Five Surgeries in November 2022, Including One That Was so Serious That She Had A 50% of Survival. DOCTORS UNBLOCKED HER BOWEL, REMOVED A 6-INCH STRETCH OF HER SMALL INTESTINE, Stemmed Her Failure, and Treated Her for Septic Shock.

I MADE SURE I WAS UP TO SPEED ON KENNEDY’S TREATments

The procedures were complex, but i was determining to learn from the hospital team to underestand what Kennedy was going through.

Neither a parent, it was important for with to stay involved at every step. I Spent Hours Online Reading Medical Literature About Her Condition, which was caussed by a single toxic bead expanding and lodging in her gut.

I didn’t just sign the permission forms with the dottors to full explain the pros and cons. I WANTED ASSWERS TO ALL MY MY ASURIES TO ASURA MYSULF AND MY HUSBAND, DAVID, THAT WERE INFORMED AND ABLE TO MAKE THE BEST Choices.

Soon, The Nurses in the Unit Began Complementing with on my Medical Knowledge. They watched as I obsessly checked Kennedy’s virtual chart, which I downloaded on my phone and recorded important Health Such as Platelet Count.

“You should be a nurse,” They Said. At the time, i was so caught up in the worry of hating a critically ill child that i didn’t give it a th nough.

Howver, The Surgers Proved Successful. Kennedy Started to Improve. She Became Well Enough to Be Discharged from the hospital, but was monitored for neurological damage. Thankfully, the tests have shown that everything seers to be normal.

I Received A Letter of Recommendation from One of Kennedy’s Doctors

After she came Home, of Cared for 24/7. I was initially nervous, but my confidence grew.

It then occurred to me that i could give back to other people who were sick. Those Encouraaging Words by the nurses echoed in my head. If I Went Back to School, I Could Qualify, Too.

I researched Nursing Schools and Found York College in Wells, Maine, Only a 20-Minute Drive from Our House in Berwick. I SUCCESSFULLY APPLED AND ENROOLED IN AUGUST 2023, LESS THAN A AFT AFTER THE WATER BEAD INCIDENT.

I’m sura that a letter of Recommendation from Dr. Meredith Baker, Kennedy’s Pediatric Surgeon at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Made A Difference. I was extremely touched and grateful for the gesture.

Nursing School Has Been Great. IT’S Challenging to Balance My Studies with Four Children, but i’ve Thoroughly Enjoyed the Experiences. I EARNED SOME CLINICAL EXPERIENCE WEND I WORKED IN A LIVING FACILITY FOR OLDER PEOPLE, FOLLOWED BY A SURGERY UNIT. I’m still unure about specializing in a Certain Field.

Unfortunately, i had a terrible crash on my motor month month, breaking multiple bones. AFTER I NEEDED SURGERY, I HAD TO TAKE A BREAK From School. I was due to graduate in May Next Year, But Now I’m Aiming For May 20, 2027.

A Raised Awareness About the Dangers of Water Beads

Meanwhile, I Still Want to Raise Awareness About the Dangers to Water Beads. Every parent and caregiver Needs to know the life-threatening risk to kids.

The Chuckle & Roar Brand of Water Beads that bought for Joshua at Target Were Removed from the Shelves soon after Kennedy Swallowed One.

Last Month, The US CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION (CPSC) Approved A Consumer Product Safety Standard for Water Beads. IT HAS SET A MAXIMUM EXPANTION SIZE TO PREVENT FROM BECOMING LARGE ENOUGH TO Cause Blockages if ingested. The toxicity risk has been lowered becase the absorbent polymer use in manufacture is limited, and warning labels must now appear on the packaging.

As for Kennedy, She’s Too Young to Remember What Happened. But she will play to the scars from her surgery on her tummy. I’ve told her that she had a “Big boo-boo” when she was a baby, but the People in the hospital made her all better.

She is fascinated by doctors and watches Old Episodes of Dr. McStufins. Last year, we dressed up in matching scrubs for Halloween. I’m Relived there don’t see to be any lasting effecs from what happened. She’s just a regular, Healthy Little Girl.

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