Gavin White has a long road of recovery ahead of him. The 16-year-old, has lived a normal, active life up until now. Yet today, he needs help with virtually everything, after coming down with a severe case of Guillain-Barré syndrome. The syndrome, which has led to Gavin being temporarily paralyzed, has affected his ability to breathe. As of press time, Gavin was still having difficulty. He had two episodes on the weekend that led to him needing to be put on a respirator in intensive care. Tim, Gavin's dad, said that staff at McMaster Hospital assure him that Gavin will make a full recovery — he just has to go through this difficult period where his lungs haven't recovered to the point where he can breathe on his own. It's been a difficult and scary journey for Gavin and his family, who never heard of Guillain-Barré before Gavin succumbed to this rare condition. Two months ago, Gavin noticed some weakness in his limbs, and felt extremely tired. Considering the active life of this teen — a student at Our Lady of Lourdes(MY SCHOOL) in ****, and a hockey player in **** Minor Hockey, as well as a part-time employee at McDonald's in ****— this complaint was an unusual one. It was the beginning of a progression of symptoms that ultimately led to his admission in McMaster Hospital in ****. "He just noticed a weakness," said Tim ****. "He'd be weak and tired, and his hands and feet were slowly becoming numb. "It eventually got worse, so he couldn't feel his hands or his feet at all. He couldn't open doors." Gavin had a series of appointments over the coming weeks, and eventually saw a pediatrician. When he saw the doctor, Gavin suggested Guillain-Barré as a possible culprit, after a friend found the syndrome on the Internet. The key to treating Guillain-Barré is to catch it quickly. Unfortunately for Gavin, it took three weeks to diagnose. By this time, Gavin was having difficulty breathing, and his parents took him to McMaster emergency to get treatment. Twenty-four hours later, he was diagnosed. Tim said he hopes that this article will make other parents more aware of the symptoms, and that other children don't have to go through what Gavin has gone through. "If you can catch the disease in the early stages, and get diagnosed quickly, Gavin wouldn't be in this situation. "Awareness is a big thing." As a patient in a teaching hospital, Gavin sees more than 20 doctors a day, sometimes just during the morning rounds. He has also been a willing participant in helping new doctors diagnose him trying to figure out exactly what he has. Guillain-Barré is a relatively rare condition, affecting one in 100,000 patients. It occurs a few days or weeks after the patient has had symptoms of a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infection. The body's immune system goes into overdrive, attacking the nervous system — destroying the myelin sheaths that cover the nerves. Right now, Gavin is experiencing a great deal of pain, as his damaged nerves regenerate.
I dont pray so I fear Im not of help.
However, Im friends with alot of pastors and youth leaders who pray alot and take prayer requests all the time
if you could, send me the link to this topic in a message
that way when I get out of school and home I can write out some prayer request cards for Gavin, stateing his condition and turn them in.
How's that sound?
Anyway, I don't pray. Praying is just talking to your imaginary friend, and that's retarded. I don't see anyone praying for me! Bastards.
I don't beleive in prayer either yet for the sake of solidarity I prayed for him.
I'll wish him luck and hope he gets better? But, how'd you get it, does it just like,develop?
I myself am an Atheist but for the respect of your beliefs I shall pray for him.
505 users online 
224839 members 575 active today Advertise Here
505 users online 224839 members 575 active today Advertise Here
You have 1 new message.
