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Handle With Care

Dealing With Shaken Baby Syndrome

By Kelly Burgess

Sitting beside Tiffany's bed in the intensive care unit, Bonnie Armstrong knew her niece was dying. At that moment, she made a vow to the tiny infant. She promised that if she were to fight to live, Bonnie would make something good come out of all this. "This" was the problem that had put Tiffany in that bed: shaken baby syndrome.

Within an hour, Tiffany's vital signs began to improve. Eventually, she was able to leave the hospital. Bonnie kept her promise and then some. She adopted Tiffany, founded the Shaken Baby Alliance and began to work not only to help victims of shaking, but also to punish those who hurt the children.

Now, nine years later, Tiffany is a happy, healthy third-grader. She needs accommodations in math and reading, but does well in other subjects. Bonnie still heads the shaken baby alliance, educating the law enforcement community and acting as an advocate for shaken babies and counseling shakers who are in the process of rehabilitation. She even makes recommendations to the courts about an abuser's prospects for rehabilitation.

Shaken baby syndrome, or SBS, is the term used to describe the collection of signs and symptoms resulting from a child being shaken violently. Most cases occur in children under 1 year of age, although there are documented cases of SBS in children as old as 5.

It is estimated that up to 50,000 cases of SBS occur each year in the United States. One in four shaken babies dies as a result of their injuries. In 60 percent of those cases, the victim is male.

For those who survive, learning disorders are common, as is blindness, hearing loss, paralysis and seizure disorders, to name just a few. According to the Shaken Baby Alliance, it is estimated to cost up to $95,000 just for the initial hospitalization of a shaken baby. This does not include a lifetime of rehabilitation, ongoing medical needs and learning and life skill assistance.

Shaking With Frustration

Want to see more?

• Special Needs Adoption: Is It for You?
• You Deserve a Break Today: New Moms Need Nurturing, Too
• Postpartum Depression: Preventing Tragedy
• Talk about it!

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