The World's Smallest Mother Take Risk Giving Birth for Third

Kentucky, 9th November 2009,

The world’s smallest mother is about to give birth for the third time - despite warnings she is risking her life.

Stacey Herald, who is just 2ft 4in tall, was told that becoming pregnant could kill her, but bravely defied doctors to have two babies half her height.


The 35-year-old from Dry Ridge, Kentucky in the U.S. suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which causes brittle bones and underdeveloped lungs, and means she failed to grow.

Now Mrs Herald, who uses a wheelchair, and her husband Will, who is 5ft 9in, are eagerly awaiting the birth of their third baby, due in the next four weeks.

Currently as wide as she is tall, she cannot hold her daughter because her belly gets in the way, and has to rely on her husband to do most things around the house.

She admits being pregnant is ‘uncomfortable’ and leaves her bedridden for weeks on end.

By the time the new addition, a boy, is one he will already tower over his mother.

But despite all the obstacles, the mother and father, a trainee priest, say they want even more children.

The couple met in 2000 while working for a supermarket in their home town and were desperate for a family after marrying in 2004.

But doctors warned Mrs Herald a baby would grow so large inside her tiny body it would eventually crush her organs, strangling her from the inside out.

Mrs Herald said: ‘It broke my heart that I couldn’t have kids.

‘All my life my parents had told me that I could do anything. Then there were these doctors telling me that we couldn’t be a complete family. It really hurt.’

Eight months later, the couple were thrilled when they discovered they were expecting and decided to go ahead even though family and doctors begged them to reconsider.

Mrs Herald, who had decided not to take contraception, said: ‘They all told me that I would die. They begged me not to have a baby.

'Even my mother said,” You know you won’t survive right?” ‘I told her: “It’s a miracle that I am here, that I have life, why couldn’t this be a miracle too?”’

After 28 weeks, doctors performed a cesarean section and daughter Kateri was born, weighing just 2lbs and 1oz in 2006.

She grew well but there was heartbreak for the family when they discovered Kateri had inherited Mrs Herald’s condition and would also never grow to a normal height.

But the young family resumed life as normal, before Mrs Herald fell pregnant a year later.

She said: ‘It was kind of like the last time, everyone screamed: “What are you doing?” at us.

‘The doctors told me I was pushing my luck. But we just prayed that God would bring us through it.’ However this pregnancy took its toll on the little mother.

She said: ‘It was hard, I got so much bigger faster. At my worst point I remember bursting into tears, because I looked like a beach ball with a head and little feet.

‘I spent weeks unable to do anything for myself because my stomach was so big. At one point I dislocated my arm when I was moving from my chair into bed, because I just wasn’t used to the weight on my arms.

‘I’ve always been able to do everything but this time I just couldn’t and I found that really upsetting to have Will help me wash and go to the toilet.

‘Also he was trying to look after a 16-month old, so it was tough on both of us.’

Doctors tried to let the second baby stay in her body for as long as possible, letting her pregnancy go to 34 weeks before wheeling her into theatre.

Daughter Makaya who, at 18 inches was more than half her mother’s body length when she was born, weighed 4lbs and 7oz.

Now both girls are bigger than their mother who is 30 weeks pregnant with her first boy.

She said: ‘It’s getting tougher and tougher to move.

‘At the moment because I’m getting really big again I can’t hold my youngest daughter because my belly gets in the way and I can’t get my arms around her.’

Mrs Herald added: ‘All my babies are miracles, but we haven’t thought about if we’re going to have some more, as they”re a real handful right now.

‘We didn’t plan to have more than two kids, we just think that they’re a great gift to the world, and when I look at them I see Will and I feel so full of love, it’s tough not to want more.’

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John Henry Howard Awarded over $9 million after Winning Lawsuit Related to Injury for Erectile Dysfunction Treatments

John Henry Howard from Ellenwood awarded more than $9 million by DeKalb County jury , who said he suffered permanent scarring following a series of treatments for Erectile dysfunction

John Henry Howard, 53, was awarded $750,000 in compensatory damages and $8.5 million in punitive damages in his suit against Boston Men’s Health Center Inc.
The company, based in Altamont Springs, Fla. , operates 22 clinics across the United States and Puerto Rico as Boston Medical Group. Its Web site says it treated more than 30,000 men last year.

Boston Medical contends it did nothing wrong. Alan F. Herman, the Atlanta attorney who represented the company, said his client has not decided if it will appeal the verdict, handed down Sept. 25. The company has until Nov. 4 to appeal or file post-trial motions.

The company, which operates six more clinics overseas, has been sued at least two other times.
Both of those cases – one in Georgia and another in Texas – were settled out of court for undisclosed settlements. The Better Business Bureau says it received two complaints about the company in the last three years but that both were resolved.

During a six-day trial, Howard, a truck driver, testified he went to Boston Medical Group’s Atlanta clinic for help with erectile dysfunction in 2006.

He received an injection to his genitals / penis using a proprietary formula that includes papaverine.
That drug is used to improve blood flow, said Chad Ritenour, an assistant professor of urology and at the Emory University School of Medicine and director of the Men’s Health Center at the Emory Clinic.

Use of the drug can lead to priaprism, a prolonged erection for more than four hours, and to permanent damage and tissue scarring, Ritenour said, especially if it’s the same injection site.

Howard purchased a six-month supply of of the treatment for $1,210 and was instructed to inject himself with it three times a week.

Fred Orr, his Decatur attorney, argued his client was deceived into believing the regimen was a cure.

“He believed what they told him and because he believed what they told him he’s permanently damaged,” Orr said.

The company said it explained in detail to Howard the proper procedures to take with his injections and what to do in case of a complication.

The defense said Howard waited too long to seek medical help after his first home self-injection led to complications.

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British Girl Died After Getting a Trial Vaccine

British Health officials stopped a vaccination program in the English city of Coventry today sept 29, 2009, after a 14-year-old girl died a few hours after being vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer.

NHS Coventry said it stopped the program for two days to give staff administering the vaccine training in how to answer questions from anyone concerned about its safety. “We fully expect to resume the program in the coming days,” the health authority said in a statement.

Natalie Morton died in a hospital Monday, a few hours after being the given the Cervarix vaccine, which protects against two strains of the human papilloma virus that causes cervical cancer. She was vaccinated at her school in Coventry.
Ms. Morton appeared to be healthy before being given the jab. Caron Grainger, director for public health at Coventry City Council, said an autopsy will be carried out to see if there is any link between her death and the vaccine. Health officials also said they had quarantined the batch of vaccine given at the school.


The school principal, Julie Roberts, said a few other girls also reported being unwell after receiving the vaccine and some were sent home.

Britain's publicly owned National Health Service began offering the Cervarix vaccine to teenage girls last year, and more than 1.4 million doses of the vaccine have been given out so far under the program. The virus is often transmitted through sexual intercourse and authorities wanted to give the vaccine to girls as young as 13 so they are protected by the time they become sexually active.

The cervical cancer vaccine is routinely administered to millions of young girls across Europe and North America. No safety concerns about the vaccines have been raised elsewhere.

“As with any medical intervention ... one can, on rare occasions, see tragic consequences,” said Professor Malcolm McCrae, virologist at the University of Warwick. “But overall this is an extremely well-tested vaccine which has been produced in response to a critical health issue — cervical cancer — a disease responsible for almost 1,000 deaths annually in the UK.”

Dr Pim Kon, medical director at GlaxoSmithKline UK which manufactures Cervarix, said it was working with the Department of Health and health regulators to investigate the case.

The cervical cancer vaccination program sparked controversy in Britain when it was first introduced. Some critics argued it would encourage girls to become sexually active at a younger age. “The vaccination program may give young people a false sense of security and lead them to think that, because they have been vaccinated, they are protected against the worst effects of sexual promiscuity and can, therefore, engage in casual sex without consequence,” said Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust charity.

Ms. Morton's death comes as doctors begin to give children a vaccine against SWINE FLU / H1N1 in a clinical trial. Doctors across England have begun administering one of two vaccines to 1,000 children between the ages of six months and 12 years. One of the vaccines is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and the other by Baxter. The trial aims to see which one is most effective on children.

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John Travolta Attend The Court Related to The Death of His Son Jett

John Travolta attend courthouse and told the Bahamas courtroom about how he performing CPR on his 16-year-old son Jett after finding him unconscious in the bathroom.
John Travolta publicly acknowledged his son’s Autism for the first time in that court .
“I saw him on the bathroom floor,” He said in a calm, quiet turn as the star witness against two men accused of trying to shake him down for $25 million.

A nanny and a local woman were already working on the youth, with Travolta joining in to provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as they continued with chest compressions, he testified.

“We continued the CPR, and my wife was holding my son’s head at this point,” he testified.

This tragedy happened at Jan 2nd, in the family’s Bahamas vacation home, where they had gone to celebrate the New Year.
Travolta's Daughter Ella, 8, joined Jett, her parents and the four nannies at the house.

The 55-year-old Travolta, who has maintained a low profile in the wake of the tragedy, revealed for the first time that his son was autistic and suffered from “a seizure disorder .”
The seizures would strike every five to 10 days, Travolta said, and his son would usually sleep for 12 hours after each 60-second attack.

In the past, the Travoltas said only that their son was afflicted with Kawasaki disease, a rare malady that mostly affects young children.

Critics have said the Travoltas would not admit their son was autistic because of their belief in Scientology . Speculation about Jett’s illness was widespread long before his death.

Travolta entered the courtroom hand in hand with wife Kelly Preston, who stayed throughout his day-long testimony.
The two-time Oscar nominee arrived at the courthouse in an entourage of SUVs, with a noticeably heavy security presence. Bahamian police ringed the building as the star entered.
He stood during his testimony, standard practice in the British justice system, and maintained his composure throughout.
The trial judge dismissed Travolta after his appearance Wednesday, but the actor was told to expect a callback for additional testimony.

Travolta is the key witness in the extortion case against paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and former Bahamas Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater, both of whom have pleaded not guilty.
Police said the extortion was tied to a document related to Jett Travolta’s treatment.
Travolta testified that he and Preston were sleeping at the family home when a nanny started pounding on their bedroom door with word of the teen’s seizure.

“I ran downstairs with my wife to help my son,” said Travolta – who quickly discovered there was little they could do.

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Autism Symptoms During Teen Years and Adults

Autism Symptoms During the Teen Years

Entering the teen years, the patterns of behavior from the Autistic Person often change. Many teens gain skills but still lag behind in their ability to relate to and understand others. Puberty and emerging sexuality may be more difficult for teens who have autism than for others this age.
At this ages, parents should be more aware Teens are at an increased risk for developing problems related to depression, anxiety, and epilepsy.


Autism Symptoms in Adulthood

Some adults with autism are able to work and live on their own. The degree to which an adult with autism can lead an independent life is related to intelligence and ability to communicate. At least 33% are able to achieve at least partial independence.2 Some adults with autism need a lot of assistance, especially those with low intelligence who are unable to speak. Part- or full-time supervision can be provided by residential treatment programs. At the other end of the spectrum, adults with high-functioning autism are often successful in their professions and able to live independently, although they typically continue to have some difficulties relating to other people. These individuals usually have average to above-average intelligence.

In the end, Recognizing the Signs of Autistic at Childhood may be the best to early find solution for the right treatment and therapy .

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Autism Symptoms During Childhood

Parents usually notice Autistic Spectrum Disorder signs in the first two or three years of their child's life.
The signs usually develop gradually, but some autistic children first develop more normally and then regress. Entering Teen Years the Signs of Autism behaviour often Change . Although early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help autistic children gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure until know .

Autism Symptoms During Childhood

Symptoms of autism are usually noticed first by parents and other caregivers sometime during the child's first 2 or 3 years.

Although autism is present at birth ( congenital ), signs of the mental disorder can be difficult to identify or diagnose during infancy. Parents often become concerned when their toddler does not like to be held, does not seem interested in playing certain games, such as peekaboo, and does not begin to talk.

Sometimes, a child will start to talk at the same time as other children the same age, then lose his or her language skills.
Parent also may be confused about their child's hearing abilities. It often seems that a child with autism does not hear, yet at other times, he or she may appear to hear a distant background noise, such as the whistle of a train.

With early and intensive treatment, most children improve their ability to relate to others, communicate, and help themselves as they grow older.
Contrary to popular myths about children with autism, very few are completely socially isolated or "live in a world of their own."

For Autistic Teenager and Adult , General Autism Symptoms may clear recognized .

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General Autism Symptoms

The degrees of severity from the Autism symptoms are varies between individuals
But all people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder have some General signs which appears from :




1. Social interactions and relationships.
Symptoms may include:

* Significant problems developing nonverbal communication skills,
such as eye-to-eye gazing, facial expressions, and body posture.

* Failure to establish friendships with children the same age.

* Lack of interest in sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people

* Lack of empathy.
People with autism may have difficulty understanding another person's feelings,
such as pain or sorrow.

2. Verbal and nonverbal communication.
Symptoms may include:

* Delay in, or lack of, learning to talk. As many as 40% of people with autism never speak.1

* Problems taking steps to start a conversation.
And have difficulties continuing a conversation after it has begun.

* Stereotyped and repetitive use of language.
People with autism often repeat over and over a phrase they have heard previously (echolalia).

* Difficulty understanding their listener's perspective.
For example, a person with autism may not understand that someone is using humor.
They may interpret the communication word for word and fail to catch the implied meaning.

3. Limited interests in activities or play
Symptoms may include:

* An unusual focus on pieces.
Younger children with autism often focus on parts of toys, such as the wheels on a car, rather than
playing with the entire toy.

* Preoccupation with certain topics.
For example, older children and adults may be fascinated by video games, trading cards,
or license plates.

* A need for sameness and routines.
For example, a child with autism may always need to eat bread before salad and insist on driving
the same route every day to school.

* Stereotyped behaviors. These may include body rocking and hand flapping.

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