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Community Support Needed For Middle School Student Meagan Valentino

Meagan Valentino Remains in Hospital After Suffering a Brain Hemorrage

Anita Eason  /  January 26, 2012  /  Views: 283  /   1 Comment

On December 3, Meagan Valentino, an eighth grade student at Manteno Middle School, woke up with a horrible headache and began having seizures.

She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered that she had bleeding in the brain. She was diagnosed with arterial vascular malformation in her brain, a condition that has grown undetected since her birth and that could have been seen only with an MRI.

Until this point, Meagan has been a perfectly active 13-year-old. Her grandmother, Mary Holtz, remarked, "She never had any headaches or complaints of any kind that would lead us to think that there was something going on."

Meagan has been a Manteno Wildcats cheerleader for the past two years and sang in the school's chorus.

"She is just a typical eighth grader. She enjoys make-up, nail polish, shopping and hanging out with her friends," said Holtz, who works as a bus driver for Manteno schools.

The pressure on her brain led to two surgeries, with the second one removing the front lobe of her brain, causing doctors at Loyola to place her in a medically induced coma for several weeks to give her brain a rest.

Holtz explained, "We're not getting feedback from Meagan. She will open her eyes and look like she's awake, but I don't know if she's really recognizing us. Sometimes she'll squeeze a hand on command and sometimes she won't."

Just last week, Meagan was transferred to Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn, a short-to-moderate term facility for children who have had traumatic brain injury. She will later return to Loyola to have a third surgery to replace a section of the skull that was removed with the previous surgery.

Sadly, both of Meagan's parents have passed away. She and her 11-year-old brother, Andrew, are under the legal guardianship of Holtz, who, after getting Andrew off to school in the morning makes the drive to Oak Lawn each day to be with Meagan.

Holtz said, "I don't know how I'm going to care for her myself in a little apartment. I can't picture this whole setup and how this is going to come to be. The insurance will lapse on March 1. I am lost at the moment and not sure how everything is going to work out."

Holtz is hoping that Meagan can remain in a stable environment at Hope longer for rehabilitation so that she can be with people who know how to manage her, something Holtz said, "I don't know how to do."

There are several upcoming fundraisers planned to help Meagan and her family including a "Meagan Valentino Benefit Fund" at HomeStar Bank.

"Meagan is in our Heart" lime green (her favorite color) heart cutouts are being sold during lunchtime for $1. Students can purchase them and write a message for Meagan or just sign their name showing their support. All of the money will go to the fund at HomeStar Bank.

The MMS Talent Show-Benefit for Meagan will be Thursday, March 1, at 7 p.m. in the main gym at the middle school. There also will be performances by Grand Paws and the Jazz Band. A $3 donation will be accepted at the door.

To provide moral and financial support, the Manteno School District is holding a "Friday Jeans Day" benefit for Meagan during January. In order to participate, staff members donate $1 to their building administrative assistant and received a lime green ribbon (made by Meagan's friends).

Holtz is thankful for the help that she's received. "The food and the gas cards have been a Godsend," she said. Holtz also is extremely thankful for the fundraising help from Lindsay Beechy, guidance counselor at MMS, adding, "She's been an angel; she's spent so much time setting these things up."

"We know her recovery is a long road. I'm very proud of our students and their efforts to help Meagan's family. They want to show Meagan how much they care about her," said Manteno Middle School Principal David Conrad.

Also, Campus Life, a youth for Christ ministry, will be hosting a community-wide ice cream social on Thursday, January 26, from 7 to 8 p.m. at Manteno Middle School, with all proceeds going directly to the family ($5 donation).

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Kim Keane

on February 4, 2012 at 17:16

I would like to help! I am a Scentsy consultant and would like to donate my commissions on any orders placed online with me during the month of February. Almost everything is 10 off this month so what better time to stock up than now! Just go to http://kimkeane.scentsy.us/home and click on "Meagan Valentino" to order. Thanks!

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