Monica and Anthony David of Franklin County waited three agonizing months to find out results of their daughter Olivia’s medical tests. When the call finally came, the news wasn’t good.
Doctors at Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson told the Davids that Olivia had mitochondrial disease — an ailment that’s incurable and can cause blindness, deafness, stroke-like episodes and premature death.
The diagnosis adds to the many health problems the 7-year-old has already dealt with in her short life.
She was developmentally delayed, has cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
She takes six medications and has a pacemaker.
She tires easily and sometimes has trouble staying on her feet.
And over the course of her life, Olivia has slowly lost the ability to speak.
Now, she has one more obstacle to overcome.
“Basically, we were handed a death sentence,” Monica David said. “But we refuse to accept that. … God has the final say. We’re holding on to our faith and trust in God. … God’s not through with Olivia yet. He’s going to heal her.”
The Davids plan to travel to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston on Feb. 4 to seek treatment for their daughter. The family held a benefit fish fry and raised $1,000 to help with the medical expenses they’ll accrue in Houston, which Medicaid will not cover, Monica said.
The couple said they have no idea how much the treatment in Houston will cost, nor do they know how long they will be there.
“There’s no price I can put on this,” Monica said. “There’s nowhere I won’t go and nothing I won’t do for my baby.”
Monica and Anthony said they would sell everything they own, down to their clothes, if it would help Olivia.
Another one of the youngster’s advocates is her big sister Brooke, 10, who is having a tough time dealing with the recent news.
Monica spends countless hours researching Olivia’s ailments and countless more praying. Anthony has been unemployed since December, and the family is behind on their rent.
But the mother said her faith in God is what keeps her strong, and she’s putting her trust in Him that everything will work out.
“We’re just trusting in God for a miracle. He’s done so many miracles, we’re hoping he’ll finish this miracle.”
The trip to Houston brings other worries, too.
“As a mom, I’m scared they’ll find something else wrong with my baby,” she said. “We’ve been seeking this diagnosis for seven years. Just to have that name, just to know what’s wrong with my child is a huge relief. Within the past year, I’ve had to start advocating harder than ever. I feel like I’ve had to fight for my daughter’s life.”
And the family has dealt with its fair share of stares, rude comments and prejudice. But Monica said that through it all, her younger daughter continues to show how special she truly is.
“She does the same things other kids can do, she just does them in a different way,” her mother said, adding that Olivia was able to play special needs T-ball this summer and plans to participate in therapeutic horse riding with the Brookhaven-based Freedom Reins.
The cause of Olivia’s various ailments were unexplainable until the recent diagnosis.
“Mito is the main beast that is causing the other spin-offs,” Monica said. “I always knew there was this big beast, but (doctors) couldn’t catch the source of the problem.”
It was only at Monica’s insistence that Olivia was sent to Jackson, leading to the diagnosis.
The Davids are hopeful that the trip to Houston will bring more answers.
What the family does know is that the mitochondria in the cells that fuel Olivia’s body are either missing or damaged, and her spleen and liver are swollen. Mito will continue to wreak havoc on all of Olivia’s organs.
“I’m just praying when we get there they can do something to help my baby,” Monica said, adding that there are some supplements that may slow the progression of disease. There also is the possibility that a stem cell transplant would help.
For Anthony, living with the unknown is the toughest part.
“I’m not a doctor by any means, but I look at her (Olivia) and I think, ‘I’m so good at fixing things and we can’t find the fix or the solution to this.’ ”
He credits Monica as being the rock of the family.
“I admire her more than she realizes. God gets the glory for it in the end, but she’s the strength behind all this,” Anthony said. “I wish I had a tenth of the strength she has. She’s a very caring and unselfish when it comes to others.”
There are times of weakness, however, and Monica said she still continues to struggle with the diagnosis.
“I don’t sleep good at night,” she said. “I’m arguing with doctors in my sleep. I’m trying to pay bills in my sleep. … You feel guilty about sleeping. Sometimes if she hasn’t woken me up yet, I run down the hall and wonder if she’s still breathing. It’s a gut-wrenching feeling.”
Monica has found comfort from other moms she met at Blair E. Batson. Her sister Michelle Beach helps out, as does her church family at Apostolic Outreach in the Berrytown community. She also credits Dr. Charles Gaymes, pediatric cardiologist at Blair E. Batson, and Dr. Jennifer Russ, a pediatrician in Natchez, for being her “angels.”
With everything the Davids have been through, they continue to count themselves among the blessed.
“I don’t like to say she’s disabled — she’s differently abled,” Monica said. “We don’t look at what Olivia can’t do, we look at what she can and will do. Olivia can bring a smile to anyone’s face. She’s touched people around the world.”
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Benefit accounts have been set up at Trustmark Bank as Olivia David Benefit Fund and at Regions Bank as Monica David For Benefit of Olivia David. Donations can be made at any bank locations. For more information on Olivia, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/oliviadavid.Gaymes, pediatric cardiologist at Blair E. Batson, and Dr. Jennifer Russ, a pediatrician in Natchez, for being her “angels.”
With everything the Davids have been through, they continue to count themselves among the blessed.
“I don’t like to say she’s disabled — she’s differently abled,” Monica said. “We don’t look at what Olivia can’t do, we look at what she can and will do. Olivia can bring a smile to anyone’s face. She’s touched people around the world.”
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Benefit accounts have been set up at Trustmark Bank as Olivia David Benefit Fund and at Regions Bank as Monica David For Benefit of Olivia David. Donations can be made at any bank locations. For more information on Olivia, log onto www.caringbridge.org/visit/oliviadavid.
