Orlando Burns and Lisa McMahon and their three children — D’Angelo, 14, Malique, 12, and Harmony, 10 — have a lot to contend with. Orlando was diagnosed with an aggressive stomach cancer in January. At the end of May, D’Angelo was struck in the back of the head with a baseball. He suffered a stroke and bleeding on his brain.
Both dad and son are sick, but neither dwells for long on their illnesses. Orlando said he isn’t focussing on his recovery, he instead chooses to focus on his family.
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“I hope everyone can come out and support this family,” said Tara Steffens, one of the benefit organizers. “This family is so grateful for everything the community has already done for them.”
It isn’t just Fairmount either, Steffens said. Help has arrived from each city in southeastern North Dakota.
Many individuals and businesses have donated to the auction and raffles. Items include: a handmade coat rack, former Buffalo Bills Phil Hansen signed apparel, North Dakota State University signed apparel, three sets of Minnesota Twins tickets, season passes for North Dakota State College of Science, a signed picture from Minnesota Viking Percy Harvin, 80 acres of aerial spraying with a $560 value and much more.
Lisa McMahon wiped a tear away trying to express her family’s gratitude for the benefit. Even though her plate is full, she finds it hard to accept the help her family will receive.
“It is overwhelming at times,” she said. “It is more overwhelming than taking care of these two. It’s hard to let that in.”
“People have been real good to us,” Orlando said. “This is a nice tight community. In this town people realize your child isn’t only yours they are the entire community’s child.”
D’Angelo was walking into the dugout during baseball practice May 27 when a stray ball hit him in the back of the head. He doesn’t remember how he ended up in the dirt, but he does remember the pain.
Five minutes after ice was placed on the back of his head, D’Angelo, otherwise known as “D,” noticed his vision was bad and he had a severe headache. His coach drove him home.
Lisa brought him to the St. Francis Healthcare Campus emergency room after testing his eyes. His eyes didn’t dilate and the boy had a 2-inch bump on the back of his head. A CAT scan in the emergency room revealed his brain had swelled and was bleeding. He was taken by ambulance to Innovis in Fargo. Lisa said by the time the convoy arrived in Fargo a neurosurgeon was ready for D’Angelo. He conducted a series of tests and told the family the results and it was grimmer news.
D’Angelo’s bleeding was putting pressure on a vein from his brain to heart. The bleeding had worsened and the CAT scan revealed he had suffered a stroke, which caused his reduced vision.
Because the vein running from brain to heart was so fragile, doctors were extremely limited to what they could do for him. A slight nick to the vein could cause the boy to bleed out on the operating table, so the neurosurgeon said surgery was not an option.
The next day the bleeding had stopped in mid-afternoon but the pressure and blood inside his brain remained. He could suffer another stroke any time and has a strict limitation of no physical activity for six months.
Even though he knows how serious the situation is, D’Angelo said it is hard for him to rein in his energy.
“He is the type of kid who always has a basketball in his hand,” Lisa said. “And although he knows his brain injury has stabilized, it hasn’t gone away. We have to constantly remind him to take it easy.”
Doctors continue to monitor his brain with CAT scans, but it may take a year for the bleeding to dissolve in his brain and thereby relieve the pressure. However, D’Angelo doesn’t have headaches or show any other symptoms from the injury.
Community Follower wrote on Jul 1, 2010 12:04 PM:
Gym Mom wrote on Jun 26, 2010 1:40 AM: