Monday, January 15, 2018

Oregon: Two-year-old boy attacked by pit bull, undergoes 16-hour surgery to repair scalp which was ripped off

OREGON -- A 2-year-old boy underwent an hours-long surgery this week in Portland after he was brutally injured by a pit bull.

Jeremiah Frohlich was attacked by the dog near his Medford home. He suffered a broken arm, and his scalp was torn off. He was rushed by a medical helicopter to Portland, where he underwent a 16-hour-long surgery to repair his scalp.


"Our biggest concern is, when we come home, we want to make sure that Jeremiah is being well cared for. We cannot go back to where we were staying where he was attacked by the dog. It's not a good environment," his mother said.

The family wants him to recover in Medford.

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YouCaring: Baby Jeremiah's Family
For: Serena and Scott (&5 kiddos)
Grants Pass, OR
Organizer: Brettani Shannon
$4,409 of $5,000 goal raised by 63 donors

Two-year-old Jeremiah was medi-flighted to Portland for a 16 hr surgery to piece his scalp back together after a dog attack. The doctors prepared his mother, Serena, for a difficult surgery: skin grafting and moving a vein from his leg to his head, but miraculously, his scalp fit together "like a puzzle".

He was sedated for several days to give his body the best chance at healing and things seem to be going well so far, but now they fear a neck injury and he is showing signs of illness.

This family is no stranger to crisis. After the death of her mother, the family moved here with the promise of a great job and a fresh start, but that is the opposite of their experience for the last two years.

Like so many others, this family of 7 has been unable to find housing, moving from a tent to a single room to a garage, all in outlying areas making it difficult with one car. The transmission went out in their only vehicle, so the family has been stranded in Williams with no way to shop for food and other necessities.


To make matters worse, the owners of the dog are also the owners of the home where they live, so a once challenging situation is now urgent.

She worked in a local drug rehab counseling center until the birth of their 7 month old baby. As a skilled laborer, the father, Scott, has work waiting for him if he can find reliable transportation. She is also ready and willing to return to work if and when she could get herself there and her children to childcare.

Both parents are hungry for God, relationships, stability and want nothing more than to contributing members of our community, but instead they find themselves at our mercy.

Please join me in lifting this family up, help them get a firm foundation under their feet and see them soar.

Goal #1 was to get them some food, diapers and clothing. Done. Thank you!

Goal #2 reliable transportation so these loving parents can work and provide for their children

Goal #3 a stable safe home for this family to put roots down and thrive


AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PLEASE PLEASE KEEP  BABY JEREMIAH IN YOUR PRAYERS - HE AND HIS MOTHER REMAIN AT DOERNBECKER'S CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IN PORTLAND

Update  posted on January 9, 2018
Good news coming from Portland.  Jeremiah is making progress and his dad and siblings were finally able to arrive to see him and give mom some much needed rest.

They all are currently staying at the Ronald McDonald House, but this stay will come to an end on Tuesday, January 10.  Jeremiah’s current physical needs are being met at the hospital, but the family is homeless. They have a couple options they are looking into for their remaining stay in Portland.  At this time, Jeremiah is scheduled for release on January 29.

Their situation at that time will be dire.  They are homeless and will have no place to go.

This family’s biggest need and priority at this time is housing.


As you recall, they were living in a shop with no heat or facilities.  They were able to use the restroom and kitchen in the house at the property they were staying.  

The owners of this property are also the owners of the dog that got loose and attacked Jeremiah.  The family cannot return to this situation, and even if they could, it is not a safe, healthy environment for Jeremiah or the rest of the family.

They need a home.  They need a place where the family can be together when Jeremiah leaves the hospital.  Can you help?  Do you have a rental, a room or two that this family could stay in temporarily until Jeremiah is stable and dad is able to return to work? Serena is reaching out to organizations as well as the hospital advocates. She will be contacting local agencies and looking at all options available to help.

Please continue donating. This money will be used to pay for stable housing which this family desperately needs to be able to meet Jeremiah’s needs when he’s released.


 

(KATU - January 12, 2018)

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