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Transcript

15: Finding Your Village · Still Caring

• 0:03
  Abby Fox (Intro): Welcome to the Still Caring Podcast,
• 0:05
  presented by Stillwater Medical.
• 0:07
  Joe Akin (Intro): Here, community is at the heart of healthcare.
• 0:09
  Katon Lunsford (Intro): Through honest conversations and shared experiences,
• 0:12
  Abby Fox (Intro): we explore what it means to care for our health—
• 0:14
  Joe Akin (Intro): and each other.
• 0:15
  Katon Lunsford (Intro): Because better health takes a village
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  and you're part of ours.
• 0:19
  Abby Fox (Host): Welcome to Still Caring.
• 0:20
  I am Abby Fox, the PR and Marketing Manager here, and we
• 0:23
  are thrilled to have the Cabrera family with us in studio today.
• 0:27
  Thank you for joining us.
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  Caleb Cabrera: Thank you for having us.
• 0:28
  Bailey Cabrera: Thank you so much.
• 0:30
  Host: Absolutely.
• 0:31
  So, can you start—like, tell us a little bit about when Stillwater
• 0:35
  became home for your family?
• 0:36
  Caleb Cabrera: Well, I moved here a little after you did.
• 0:39
  I went to Enid first, went to NOC, and then I moved here in 2015 or 2016.
• 0:46
  So, about a decade ago at this point.
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  You were here a couple years prior, I believe.
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  Bailey Cabrera: Yes.
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  Caleb Cabrera: Yep.
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  And we actually went to high school together, Mustang High School.
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  We knew each other then, and reconnected when we came back
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  out here to Oklahoma State.
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  Bailey Cabrera: Yep.
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  Met here, and then just circumstances took us away for a bit.
• 1:05
  He had an unexpected promotion.
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  We had a couple choices of where we could go, and we had Julian at this
• 1:12
  point, and just thought nowhere would be better to raise him than stillwater.
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  So, that's where we just decided recently, the last couple of years, to come on back.
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  Host: That's so great.
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  Well, we're thankful to have you as a part of this community and thrilled to hear
• 1:28
  how your family is growing and changing.
• 1:30
  So, take us back to Julian's story and kind of his birth story and maybe
• 1:35
  when you found out cerebral palsy was going to be a part of his his story.
• 1:38
  Bailey Cabrera: Yes.
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  So, my pregnancy with him was very typical.
• 1:44
  Really did not notice any abnormalities.
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  Everything was going great.
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  I chose to
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  induce him a week early, and I was ready to go.
• 2:00
  We were ready to meet him and just have him be a part of our family, and we had
• 2:04
  the all clear from all of his physicians.
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  I gave birth, and everything was typical.
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  We noticed he was struggling a little bit shortly after birth.
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  The nurses and staff thought maybe that it was blood sugar related.
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  He had a couple finger pokes, and everything was normal.
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  We got lucky the nurse the next morning had noticed some seizure-like activity.
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  And so, I was asked if a physician could take a look at him.
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  We agreed.
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  Obviously, that was in the best interest, of course, to do so.
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  It took a few months.
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  He was born in July.
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  And in December, we actually got confirmation of cerebral palsy.
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  There are a lot of imaging
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  and just other kind of testings that need to be done before confirmation
• 3:03
  can be given to family members.
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  But he's worked closely with a neurologist since birth.
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  And they have just been kind of slowly keeping track of symptoms, testing,
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  just, I guess, birthing history, things that had happened in the hospital.
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  He had a brief NICU stay, and just all collectively with all that information
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  and one last MRI in December, we got that confirmation of cerebral palsy.
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  And that was something that we were kind of prepared for, but we don't
• 3:43
  know anyone with cerebral palsy.
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  We are first-time parents.
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  And so, this has just been a whole journey for us.
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  Host: I bet.
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  And for those listening who don't know what cerebral palsy is,
• 3:54
  can you tell us just kind of in simple terms what that means?
• 3:57
  Bailey Cabrera: Yes.
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  So, it's actually very complicated because it is different for everyone.
• 4:04
  So, for Julian specifically, his front two lobes in his brain are damaged.
• 4:11
  They cannot be repaired, but because he is so young, they will rewire
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  themselves and adapt in other ways.
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  But, you know, that is up to his brain.
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  A child can have the same injury and have completely different outcomes.
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  So, the scary thing is it is a wait-and-see.
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  But with a good support system,
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  you can kind of have a good community, get a good sense of what outcomes
• 4:42
  are, extra therapies, just anything and everything that you can think of.
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  So while this has been a little bit scary for us, it has been
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  more motivating, more eye-opening.
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  It's just completely changed our lives and for the better.
• 4:58
  Host: Yeah.
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  Absolutely.
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  So, talk to us a little bit about that support system that you mentioned.
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  Have you felt like you've always had that throughout this journey?
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  Or is that something you've struggled to find?
• 5:07
  Caleb Cabrera: Honestly, yeah, you know, my family has been fantastic.
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  I've got my grandpa, Lewis, my dad, Chris, and my step-mom, Andrea.
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  They are fantastic.
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  You know, any time that, you know, we need just maybe a Saturday to ourselves,
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  you know, we've had a longer week, we can go over there and we can kind
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  of stay there with them and kind of, you know, watch him, you know, have
• 5:27
  an entire village watch him, not just ius kind of watching him on our own.
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  And then, your mom is the exact same way, Christina down in Meeker.
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  So, just all of our family has been fantastic.
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  Luckily for us, they're all within about an hour drive.
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  So, that is a big plus for us.
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  And It's been really nice.
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  Bailey Cabrera: And just all big on activities.
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  My mom, Christina, and my step-dad, Ryan, they are big golfers.
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  Chris and Andrea have a pool.
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  We love to go to the zoo.
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  We just try to expose him to as much as we can, and our community knows that.
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  And not only the support with our family, but with, you know, Dr.
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  Smalley at Stillwater Pediatrics and Katey with Healthy Steps.
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  And It's just been such a collaborative effort.
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  We did not have that support when we were living in Oklahoma City.
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  It seems like it's a lot of facts thrown at you, but it's hard to digest that and
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  then to say, "Okay, where do we go now?
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  What do we do now?
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  What's available?"
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  And I feel like in Stillwater, we had help.
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  It was laid out for us.
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  We had so many options.
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  Caleb Cabrera: It's just felt like people wanted to help.
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  Bailey Cabrera: Yes, I agree.
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  Yes.
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  It's just been such a wonderful experience.
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  It feels like a real community, and it just solidifies why we chose to come back.
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  Caleb Cabrera: Remember saying that?
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  Love Stillwater.
• 6:56
  Bailey Cabrera: Yeah.
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  Host: Well, tell me a little bit about Karman Korner, because I know that's
• 7:00
  something that is part of y'all's story.
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  How did Karman Korner Help?
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  Bailey Cabrera: Oh, we did not even realize that there were nonprofits in
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  this area that had a passion for children.
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  And just anybody like Julian and just everyone in this community,
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  Karman Korner, we did not know
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  that it had existed until Katey with Healthy Steps walked us through the
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  system of just getting in contact with the lovely people there, filling out
• 7:36
  the application, just the whole process.
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  We were walked through that.
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  We were accepted the same day that we got the application.
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  Karman Korner worked with the prosthetics company, directly made phone calls.
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  We did not have to do a single thing.
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  They made that so easy for us, which was incredible because, I mean,
• 8:01
  he's got so many appointments, so many things we're taking him to.
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  So, just that unexpected help to get something that has benefited him
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  so, so greatly, was just amazing.
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  I was just so touched.
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  We felt like we had to send a thank you card to them and just let them know
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  that they truly impacted our family.
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  And actually, because we got accepted for this grant, he is a participant
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  of the SoonerStart program.
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  And they didn't know that Karman Korner offered that grant, and that opened it up.
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  You know, more people can find out about that just because he's connected within
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  the community in so many different ways.
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  Host: That's amazing.
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  And just for context for our listeners today, too, Karman Korner being a
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  retail shop, you know, that you can donate your clothes or your extra,
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  you know, appliances to and then they resell those, and the proceeds
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  do benefit people like julian.
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  So, that's amazing.
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  Bailey Cabrera: Yes.
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  So, it's just amazing that there are places that are, you know, willing
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  to go through and just complete all those processes just to benefit
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  these families and this community.
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  It's much needed and much appreciated.
• 9:21
  Caleb Cabrera: Oh, yeah.
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  Without, Healthy Steps and everyone over there in Karman Korner, I
• 9:26
  mean, he wouldn't have these braces.
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  Host: Yeah.
• 9:28
  Yeah.
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  Bailey Cabrera: Yeah, I mean, and he's made such great improvements with them.
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  So, it's been just a positive overall.
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  Host: Is the goal one day that he will be able to walk?
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  Is that the hope?
• 9:37
  Bailey Cabrera: Yes.
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  Yes.
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  We are working on that.
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  He does physical therapy about once a week, along with speech therapy.
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  And I mean, the braces have improved his stance.
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  They have improved his stability.
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  Also, his drive and motivation, I think, because his feet feel
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  supported, he feels supported.
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  So, he's moving like he has never moved before.
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  That's amazing.
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  Host: That's amazing.
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  Yeah.
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  Yay.
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  Yes.
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  Yay.
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  We're excited.
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  Well, talk to us a little bit about what it has felt like.
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  I mean, he's already overcome so much adversity in his life.
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  What does that feel like as parents to get to be a part of his
• 10:15
  support system as he does things?
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  Caleb Cabrera: I mean, it's humbling, honestly.
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  You know, he's gone through so much in his year and 10 months, you
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  know, that I never went through.
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  So, it's very humbling.
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  You know, he's a very, very strong young man and, you know,
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  he doesn't really complain.
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  He doesn't whine about it.
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  He just does it.
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  Bailey Cabrera: Taught us a lot of patience and resilience, and
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  he's just our pride and joy.
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  It couldn't get any better than being with him.
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  And it just feels wonderful to be somewhere that wants
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  to foster that along with us.
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  It's just been the best.
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  Host: Absolutely.
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  Well, we're so grateful that you're sharing his story with us, and that
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  you're helping get the word out there, because I know there are other
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  families that are navigating this.
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  And so, the more that we can know and support one another
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  through it, the better.
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  You can be together.
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  Bailey Cabrera: Yeah.
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  Host: Okay.
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  So, we end all of our podcast conversations with a challenge to care.
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  If there is one challenge that you all would have for the community
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  about what they can do to either better care for themselves or for
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  their neighbors, what would that be?
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  Bailey Cabrera: I just say keep your eyes and ears open and
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  don't be afraid to say hello.
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  Everywhere, you know, things were getting more accessible.
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  They could be even more accessible.
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  You don't know what somebody's going through, so just be watching and
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  listening and be open to learning.
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  This is already such a wonderful community, and I know it's just
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  going to get even better if we continue to do what we're doing.
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  Caleb Cabrera: Oh, yeah.
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  Always ask questions at appointments.
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  You know, try to get the full scope of what what they're going through, so
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  that way you can understand it and help them kind of guide through it better.
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  Always ask questions at those appointments that pertain to things.
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  You know, Karman Korner, we didn't know about it until Healthy Steps
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  helped us out at that appointment.
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  So, always be asking questions and then, like she said, you know, be kind, say hi.
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  You know, sometimes we'll kind of get looks or something because he has the
• 12:15
  braces and his glasses and eye patch on.
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  So, you never know what everyone's going through, so just be kind, say hello.
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  He's a wonderful young man.
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  Bailey Cabrera: Yes, don't be shy.
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  Host: Well, thank you all for being here today.
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  We really appreciate it.
• 12:28
  Caleb Cabrera: Thank you.
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  Thanks for having us.
• 12:30
  Bailey Cabrera: Thank you.
• 12:30
  Yes.