Jack Abernathy

We are the Abernathy family. My husband and I have been married for 15 years and we have been blessed with three wonderful children: Mackenzie is our 10 year-old daughter who loves to read, sing and ride horses, our 5-year old son Max who loves Aggie football, and 2 ½ year-old son Jack who loves cars, is fondly referred to as "Happy Jack," and has Cerebral Palsy. We live in The Woodlands Texas with our dog Pepper. Our family has an amazing opportunity...to get Jack better...we just need some help.

Jack's Journey
We were so excited to welcome a third child to our family . My pregnancy was "normal" according to the doctor's but a mother's intuition told me otherwise. There was nothing I could put my finger on and the doctor's told me all was well but my heart wasn't convinced. During my pregnancy my doctor talked with me about saving Jack's cord blood - he said to think of it as an insurance policy for my family. So, we decided to make the investment, and I am so glad that we did.

Jack's journey began on November 18, 2006. Later that day, we went to the hospital to have our baby. We were excited to meet our new little boy! When we arrived at the hospital everything seemed to be progressing. But within moments, my doctor appeared and told me that my baby did not like labor and that we needed to do an emergency c-section. The birth was traumatic - for me and Jack. When he was born there was stillness...no crying, no movement... and at that moment our lives changed. Jack was a "blue" baby, with the cord wrapped around his neck four times, and meconium in his lungs. They revived Jack and he was brought to my room. He weighed 6 lbs 18 ounces and was a beautiful baby. Then, as we were taking the first pictures of Jack, he turned blue and stopped breathing. He was rushed to the NICU where he stopped breathing four more times that night. My husband was with Jack telling him to be strong. Jack pulled through and after two weeks in the NICU we brought him home.

Life seemed normal - as normal as it could be with three children - but it was good! Jack was a happy baby and immediately a special part of our family. I knew something was wrong after a few months when Jack started missing his milestones. We visited a neurologist and when Jack was almost two, he was diagnosed with spastic Cerebral Palsy. As a mother, I mourned. I mourned for what I knew wouldn't be...or so I thought. Today, Jack is a happy two-year old - he can't sit up, or walk by himself - but he wants to and he is determined. We have three therapists who work with Jack to help him talk, sit, walk, eat, play, sing and all of the other things that we often take for granted. Jack also underwent eye surgery for strabismus (a common problem for children with Cerebral Palsy). We are making progress and we are hopeful. Through it all, Jack is still "Happy Jack."

Hope for Jack...Duke University and Cord Blood
Earlier this year, we received an e-mail from ViaCord (where we bank Jack's cord blood) telling us about a promising study for children with Cerebral Palsy that is being conducted at Duke University. That night we were searching on the internet for any information and found Dallas's story - we were so inspired, so hopeful and praying that we would qualify. We applied to the study and were thrilled when Jack was accepted to participate. We are scheduled to go travel to Duke on June 23, 2009 and we couldn't be more hopeful for Jack and more thankful for the opportunity.

Since we learned of the study, Cynthia Hextell has talked with me many times and is now helping us with the financial obligation that is associated with the study through the Dallas Hextell Foundation. We know that nothing is for certain but my family is so grateful for the opportunity and for the Dallas Hextell Foundation.

Thank you for your help - and for the opportunity to help Jack participate in the study at Duke University.

Kind regards,
Chip, Jacque, Mackenzie, Max and Jack Abernathy