Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2017 - 32

VITALS / THRIVING

A walk in their shoes
A family puts its focus on advocacy to help others.

oday, Melissa Ellmer's life is full of classes, work and the
freedom of driving, but things were not always so certain for the 23 year old. When she was 17 months old, Melissa
suffered a traumatic head injury when the family car rolled
down the driveway, struck her and pinned her head under a
tire. Her brain swelled. Surgeons removed 5 percent of her
cerebellum and put her in a medically induced coma.
After surgery, Melissa developed acute respiratory distress
syndrome. Her condition was serious, and doctors indicated
she would not survive if they removed her from the ventilator.
Her parents and doctors began the process of organ donation.
But the tests required prior to donation revealed Melissa
had a high concentration of the coma-inducing drug in her
system. "Our split-second decision to choose organ donation
probably saved her life," Kerry, her mother, says.

Melissa Ellmer survived an accident in 1994. Today, she is training for a job.

Melissa woke up and was breathing on her own. Soon after,
she moved to Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside,
New Jersey, to begin her rehabilitation and recovery process.
Melissa arrived at Children's Specialized in June 1994 and
went home the end of August to continue outpatient therapy.
Kerry was grateful for the care Melissa received; she was
determined to give back. "It was important I help other
families who were walking in my shoes," Kerry says. So the
Ellmers dedicated themselves to advocating for sick children.

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL S TODAY Summer 2017

Children's Hospitals Today first reported on the Ellmer's
advocacy efforts in the summer 2009 edition. Melissa and
her mom were on their second trip to Washington, D.C.,
to talk to representatives in Congress as part of the Speak
Now for Kids Family Advocacy Day. As participants in
the 2017 Advocacy Day descended on Washington in July,
Melissa's advice to anyone interested in advocating is: Go
for it. "Speaking to people on Capitol Hill was amazing," she
says. "It was thrilling and breathtaking. I learned how to
speak in front of a lot of people. Even though I was scared, I
overcame my fears."
Kerry assures nervous speakers that being polished or
being a professional isn't required. She says speaking from
your experience is the most important aspect of telling your
story. "If you speak from the heart, you will be a good speaker,"
Kerry says. "You will move somebody, and that's what every
kid going into the hospital needs-someone before them
to give that speech to make their life better. Unless they've
walked a day in that parent's shoes, the people you talk to
will have no idea what they're going through."
Melissa used her time with representatives to talk about
the staff at Children's Specialized and emphasize the
care she will require for the rest of her life. The long-term
effects of her brain injury include weakness on her left side
and restricted movement of her left ankle, wrist and hand.
She attended rehabilitative therapy sessions at Children's
Specialized until she was 18 years old to develop and maintain
range of motion. When the time came, Melissa was ready to
make the transition out of the rehabilitation center, yet still
apprehensive. "Thinking about moving on from Specialized
made me feel kind of scared and nervous," she says. "But at
the same time, I was happy to get my life going."
Part of getting her life going included learning to drive.
Before allowing Melissa behind the wheel, her parents
wanted to be sure she had the necessary reflexes. Melissa
attended a driver rehabilitation program for an evaluation,
received guidance on choosing adaptations for her car and
learned to drive. "It was amazing," Melissa says. "I'm so happy
I learned to drive. I enjoy that I can just pick up my keys
and go." Melissa also spends her time working for a family
business and attending school to learn a variety of skills to
become an administrative assistant.
Melissa and her family advocate for children's hospitals
whenever possible and never get tired of saying thank you. "I
talk and say 'thank you'," Kerry says. "I've got Melissa; so many
people have given me my whole world back." -Christine Bush

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2017