At two years old, Charlotte Wilson, known affectionately as Lottie, has such a bright and happy smile. Her family, including her mother Lisa, feels lucky to still have her around. This is because, according to Local12, Lisa received a frantic phone call from an in-home babysitter in February 2020 – when Charlotte was 6 months old – that her daughter was having seizures. Later, doctors stated that Charlotte had undergone shaken baby syndrome, also known as abusive head trauma. Now, Lisa and her community are running a benefit called “Love for Lottie” to both help the family with their expenses, and to donate to the Brighton Center. Interested in donating? Check here for more information.
Charlotte’s Story
When Lisa arrived at the hospital, she was terrified. What happened? Would her daughter make it? On her fundraising page, she explains that the family spent 10 days in the hospital waiting for Charlotte to undergo a number of scans. More so, Charlotte seemed to have undergone some developmental regression:
Prior to the event, Charlotte was eating from a spoon, so close to sitting up on her own, and was rolling over. After the event, Charlotte had forgotten how to do all of that [and] her left side of her body was not moving in equal movements to her right.
During the hospitalization, Lisa also had to grapple with Child Protective Services (CPS) and be cleared for Charlotte to safely return home with them. By the time they returned home, Charlotte had issues seeing out of her left eye, potential blood clots, and seizures. Her family needed to see an endocrinologist, as the brain injury impacted the area which controls hormones. Charlotte began developing breasts at just 7 months old and is now being treated to prevent early puberty from occurring.
Charlotte partakes in speech therapy. Her vision seems to have improved and she no longer requires weekly physical therapy, though she is still being monitored for seizures. Unfortunately, the state of Kentucky chose not to pursue charges against the babysitter, something which deeply frustrates Lisa. She still feels that she has no insight into how her daughter was injured, and feels uncomfortable that the babysitter does not seem to be facing any consequences.
Love for Lottie
The “Love for Lottie” fundraiser seeks to raise awareness about shaken baby syndrome, while also providing the family and the Brighton Center with funds. On October 24, the fundraiser will occur. So far, the family has only sold 10 tickets. Learn more about “Love for Lottie” and purchase tickets here. You may also donate via Paypal at @loveforlottie, via Venmo at @LoveForLottie, or via CashApp at $LoveforLottie2.
Shaken Baby Syndrome
An estimated 1,300 cases of shaken baby syndrome, or abusive head trauma, occur within the United States each year. Babies have weak neck muscles. When a baby or toddler is forcefully shaken, the brain bashes into the skull, causing inflammation, bleeding, and bruising. Ultimately, this prevents adequate oxygen from reaching the brain and kills brain cells. Shaken baby syndrome commonly occurs when caretakers are frustrated by an infant’s crying and shake the child to stop the crying. However, this can lead to permanent brain injury or even death. Education and awareness are crucial to preventing shaken baby syndrome from occurring. Symptoms include:
- Difficulty breathing or eating
- Inability to lift head
- Pale or blue-tinted skin
- Difficulty staying awake
- Bulging spots on the head
- Vomiting
- Loss of muscle tone
- Extreme irritability
- Internal bleeding
- Bone fractures
- Seizures
- Paralysis
- Coma
