Wednesday, July 31st

Hello to All. Summer is quickly disappearing and school will start before we know it. Clay has had a busy summer so far. The week after school was dismissed he went to the Pakland Burn Camp. This is Clay's third burn camp and I am pretty sure he will refuse to every miss it. He loves being there and feels comfortable with all the folks and activities. I think he just likes being his own boss without Mom or Dad around to tell him what to do. Shortly after returning from camp he figured out a way to head to South Texas for a brief visit with Grandma and Pappy. 5 weeks later we finally talked him into coming home for a couple of days. I believe he was on the beach or the fishing pier everyday he was at the coast. We all went down over the 4th just to visit him but he did not come home with us. We finally encouraged him to spend a couple of days at our house before convention. We all went to Happy and the weather was so nice that Clay only had to use the cool room a couple of meetings and was able to sleep with his brothers in the barn. Another sign that he is growing up. He was scheduled for surgery on Monday July 22nd. We had this on the calender for a while and had made all the arrangements and plans that go with one of his procedures. We arrived in Dallas late on the night of the 21st and were at the hospital at 5:00 a.m. on the 22nd. As they wheeled Clay out to go to the O.R. we could tell he was nervous. About 45 minutes later they came to the waiting room and said Clay had an upset stomach and the anestheseoligst had canceled the procedure. The surgeon was not happy and neither were his parents. We have had this problem before and we know that Clay gets anxious. Upon release, due to his upset stomach, he ate three large pancakes, two over easy eggs, and some bacon. Good thing he was not too sick. The surgeon knew that we needed to get the procedure done before school started so Clay would have time to heal. He told us he would reschedule as soon as possible. True to his word they called on Tuesday and scheduled for Thursday the 25th. He ordered a pill for Clay to take upon arrival in Dallas. It worked well and the surgery went off with out a hitch. In surgery they took a piece of skin from the back of Clays neck and recovered his chin, this should help his bottom lip that was being pulled down. They also cut along the top of his throat in front and removed a fatty layer from the skin flap that covers his throat. This piece of skin was from his thigh and was loose or baggy on his neck. We went for a followup appointment Monday and everything looked good. When they unwrapped the bandages I told Clay I could see his new chin. He asked for a mirror and I think he approved of the new look. We do appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, and inquiries for and about Clay. We hope everyone is well, and we wish you good days. Take Care, The Fites

Thursday March 07, 2013

Been a long time since the Fite's have posted.  Sorry if anyone feels deserted.  I am mainly adding information so we can keep up with procedures.  They will never become common place but we have not been very diligent in reporting.  Clay had a tissue expander in his scalp under his hair for the majority of last summer.  We had a plastic surgeon that was planning to move the hair and rebuild one of Clay's ears.  We received a call unexpectedly in the middle of the summer and the surgeon we had been dealing with was dismissed from staff and we were handed off to a new surgeon at Children's hospital in Dallas.  The new surgeon was very helpful and ultraconservative.  He stated that he would not have done the ear or the hair.  He offered to finish the hair project but told us he was not comfortable doing the ear and his heart was not really in doing the hair.  He encouraged Clay to consider a wig and artificial ears.  Clay was not willing to consider either one. (Surprise)  To bring this chapter to a quick close Clay went in for surgery the day after school started last year, August 28th, and they moved the hair back nearly to the crown of his head.  After the surgery the doctor told us Clay should be able to make his own decisions about future procedures.  He is 9 years old.  Do you think a 9 year old would ever choose to have another surgery after the first 45?  Chapter closed.  We did a follow up burn visit with our old friends at Parkland just to receive some other opinions and see what our options were.  Parkland has a new doctor on the burn staff that trained at Shriner's in Galveston and had spent the last several years at Brooks Army Medical in San Antonio.  You can imagine what he has seen and experienced over the last few years with soldiers from the wars.  He evaluated Clay and made several suggestions that were both intriguing and encouraging. On February 25, 2013 we returned to Parkland for the first time and the new burn doctor did extensive work on Clay's left hand.  The morning of the surgery he came in pre-op and told us everything he was planning to do to the hand.  He was very upbeat and said, "this is going to be fun."  Clay looked at him like he was crazy and said  uh-uh.  He straightened two of Clays fingers out and put deep pins in three to hold them in place. He deepened the web space between the fingers and released the burn scars that were contracting in the palm of his little hand.  He also released some skin around the thumb and extended it to the out side part of his hand, all with the intent of giving Clay more grasp and improving the function on his left hand.  Clay was able to go home from Parkland the same day as the procedure and has to keep the pins in for six weeks.  He was extremely disappointed that he had to sit out the last weekend of his little dribbler basketball games.  It was very painful for him for several days but in typical Clay fashion he has accepted it and not let it slow him down much.  He had a follow up appointment today and his class was going on a field trip he did not want to miss so his mom let him ride the bus to Ft. Worth for a visit to the Omni and then picked him up and rushed him to Dallas for an appointment at burn clinic.  All and all Clay is doing well and has all the energy and likes and dislikes of a typical third grader.  The new doctor at Parkland is going to assume care for Clay and we will probably consider another procedure sometime this summer.  Hope this note finds everyone well.  Thank you to all who have cared and or prayed for Clay through the years.

Wednesday, March 14 Surgery Update

Hello to everyone. I wanted to pass along some details on Clay's most recent procedure. On Monday the 12th Clay spent nearly 10 hours in the operating room at Children's Hospital in Dallas. This was a scheduled procedure and had been planned for quite a while. We checked into the hospital at 5:30 a.m. and at 6:00 p.m. Clay had not come out of recovery. It was a long wait for Mom and Dad so I hope it went quickly for him. This will not be a short post because I will attempt to describe everything that was done while Clay was in the O.R. Clay's day started with a visit from a surgical dentist. It seems that being in a burn unit for four months plus copious amounts of antibiotics over the last three years have not been kind to Clay's baby teeth. He has the added problem of not being able to open his mouth wide enough to floss. The scar bands around his mouth will not allow it. The dentist extracted four baby teeth and capped 8 more to insure he can make it until the permanent arrive. All of this had to be done under anesthesia because the mouth had to be forced open for him to access the teeth. When he finished up our plastic surgeon took over. He placed two tissue expander's under the hair on Clays head between the skin and the skull. These will be injected with fluid to attempt to move Clays hair back far enough to cover the crown of his head. After this procedure was completed they made incisions over Clays ribs and harvested cartilage from two separate spots. They then took this harvested cartilage and started the process of building Clay a left ear. This cartilage was formed into an ear shape and placed under the skin or scalp in position to create an ear. It will be left under the skin until it has healed and grown over, at that point they will go in and separate from the skull and hopefully there will be the start of a new left ear. One interesting part of the surgery was the fact that they harvested more good tissue than they needed for this ear so they , "banked" some cartilage for later use lower down on his head. When the ear was completed they went to work on his face. Dr. Trussler opened up both side of his mouth and attempted to work around his chin and nose doing releases and shaping in both places. They also worked on Clay's right eye which was starting to pull down a bit from contracting burn scars. If you think all that I mentioned was enough you are wrong. When Dr. Trussler finished up the plastics hand specialist went to work on Clay's left hand. The burn scars and amputations on Clay's left hand were pulling down and preventing Clay's hand from growing. The palm of this hand was much smaller than his right. Initially they had planned to open up his left palm and pocket or sew it on to a patch of good skin on his abdomen. His had would have been attached to his stomach for a minimum of three weeks. We were worried about this because three weeks can be a long time for an adult and an eternity when you are eight. When they started the hand procedure they decided that Clay did not have enough unburned skin on his stomach to attach the hand to and they opted to take a full thickness skin graft from his left thigh and rebuilt his palm with it. They also put pins in his thumb and middle finger to help straighted and spread these two digits hoping to give him more range and a wider griping area. This hand was then placed in a cast and all surgeons wrapped it up for the day. After being under anesthesia for approximately eight hours our surgeon elected to place Clay in the Intensive Care Unit overnight. He said that due to the length of time and the many different procedures he wanted to use extra caution with Clay after surgery. Mom and Dad are allowed to stay in ICU and we did on Monday night. Clay was moved Tuesday morning to a room on the plastic surgery floor for an additional day of care and observation. He was released today a little before noon and he is making his way to South Texas to spend the rest of his spring break recovering at his grandparents home with his brothers, and cousins on spring break. Mom is going too just in case she is needed. There have been many people praying for Clay before, during and after this surgery, we would like to say thank you because your thoughts, kindnesses, and prayers are always needed and appreciated by the Fites.

Brief Update February 14, 2012

Hello to all. Little did we know, three years later, we would still be posting surgery & progress updates on Clay. I know we have been negligent in posting but the Fites have been extremely busy as of late. On Sunday January 29th we had plans to attend meeting in Ft. Worth and then go to the afternoon performance of the Ft. Worth Rodeo. Best laid plans do not always work out. When we awoke Sunday morning Deidra commented that Clay had a blood blister on the side of his head. He had an area the doctor was concerned about and that we had been keeping an eye on. I asked to see his head and quickly decided he did not have a blood blister but determined the skin had split open on the side of his head and what we could see was exposed tissue expander. We called the doctor and he instructed us to come to Children's in Dallas ASAP. We shuffled everything around and checked Clay in. On Monday afternoon they did surgery to remove the expander and advance the hair back on his scalp. He came through with flying colors and was able to head home on Tuesday with a drain tube placed under his scalp. Junior steers went into Ft. Worth on Tuesday and we would not have been able to get Carson and Cody's steers there without a lot of help. All seems to be going well now and Clay is back in school and doing fine. You can see in the previous post the expander before the surgery. The morning after the procedure Clay asked to see a mirror. I gave him one to look into. He said he did not like the way his head looked because it was too flat. We thought it looked great and the doctor did a wonderful job with the hair. I am sure Deidra will post more with more details when she has a moment but we are preparing for special meetings and have had some welcome company. I thought I would post this before time and the procedure escaped me. Take Care.

January 4, 2012 Happy New Year!

Larisa and Clay

Here is a picture of the PA cleaning the tissue expander

port before inserting saline into expander. As you can see,

the skin is expanding and the doctor can then surgically stretch Clay's

hair further back on top of his head.

Did you begin to think that we were not going to post on Clay's blog again? We haven't forgotten, just haven't taken the time to update for about 3 months!! I began to think that I might need to tie myself to my computer chair so that I could sit down long enough to post an update. Of course, it's always hard to remember all that has happened (during the past 3 months) when I procrastinate like this.

Hmmmm?? Where to begin? Last year (2011) seemed to fly by faster than the year before. It's hard to believe that it has been almost 3 years (Feb 14, 2009) since Clay's accident. Three years ago, we were wondering if we would/could ever survive such a tragedy. Here we are in 2012, and Clay is thriving - thanks to God!

Chance posted our last update on October, 14th. I'll give a few highlights of the past months. This past October, Clay had the privilege of meeting Larisa Hertz at one of our church conventions. Larisa was burned in an accident in the Fall of 2009. She & her family have become very special to us; as, she can empathize with Clay and vise versa.

November:
* Carson turned 13! We now have a teenager in the house and a son who is now taller than me (mom). If he grows into his long feet, he'll soon be taller than dad.

* We were asked and invited by The Transplant Services Center of UTSW Medical Center to attend "A Celebration of Thanksgiving For the Gift of Transplantation Medicine". Clay was recognized as a "skin donor recipient" (during Clay's first few weeks in the Burn ICU, his burns were covered with cadaver skin until the doctors could graft his own skin over the burns). It was very touching as the families of the donors were recognized. We had an interview with channel 4 (Dallas); then, Chance & Clay said a few brief words of thanks onstage. We had a pleasant surprise in that we had the opportunity to meet LTC (Ret) Brian Birdwell who is also a Texas State Senator. He is a burn survivor; as, he was in the Pentagon on Sept.11 during the attacks. His book, Refined by Fire, is a soldier's story of 9-11. He also has "Face the Fire Ministry" in Granbury, Texas. We also had the opportunity to meet his wife and brother(a Tarrant County Judge). Very special!

* We spent the Thanksgiving holidays on the Texas coast at Pappy & G'ma's.

* We were also invited to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. Katie Crosbie, from Channel 3-Wichita Falls, invited us to attend and gave us tickets. Clay was taken on stage at the end of the concert, took a bow with the band, and was given an electric guitar signed by the band. The boys also received T-shirts and CD's. That was an exciting evening for the boys!

December:

* Busy month with the holidays, etc.

* Most of Chance's family lives within an hour from us. We spent Christmas eve/day with his family. We didn't have to travel far. We made a couple trips to Dallas for Clay's tissue expansion. My older sister and her family spent New Year's eve/day with us.

January: Here we go....into a new year.

* Our county stock show will be held in two weeks; and then off to the major shows. Cody has been looking forward to showing again this year.

We had an appointment in Dallas yesterday. Clay's doctor put another dose of saline in his expander (we have been driving to Dallas every two weeks for this). We discussed Clay's next surgery & have another appt. in two weeks. His next surgery may entail: 1. moving expanded hair further back on his head 2. taking rib cartilage to reconstruct his ears 3. more work on left hand. We will discuss a surgery date at his next appointment.

Life is precious and Clay's positive disposition inspires us! Happy New Year to all!

~The Fite Family (Chance, Deidra, Carson, Cody & Clay)

Good Morning,

Time seems to fly by and we apologize for taking so long to update. Clay underwent surgery on Thursday September 29th. This was the procedure that was canceled earlier in the month. The doctor worked on his hand , mouth, neck, and head. At this point he is back in school and seems to be doing fine. The second graders have a competition for UIL story telling. Clay is trying out for the team. I bet if he could tell about his life experiences he has more than the average second grader to draw from. He is excited about this opportunity. He will go back to Dallas on the 17th of this month for his first injection into the scalp expander. The doctor plans to put 400 to 450 cc of fluid in between now and Christmas. The next surgical procedure will be to move the existing hair around on his head. I hope this short note finds everyone well. We are thankful to all who pray for and encourage Clay and our family. Take Care

Hello to all. It has been sometime since I posted on the blog but I wanted to update everyone on Clay's non procedure yesterday. As some of you know Clay was scheduled for his first surgery of the new school year on Monday the 12th. The doctor planned to place a tissue expander under his scalp to start the process of covering his head with hair, work on his left hand to open up the webbing and increase the use of his fingers, and work in and around the mouth and chin to release some scar bands that continually pull his lower lip down and prevent him from opening his mouth very wide. To sum it up quickly, it did not happen. We arrived at Children's hospital in Dallas at 7:00 a.m. Clay was quickly checked in and we went to the pre-op room to wait our turn. Clay loves the hospital because it offers some amenities he is not accustomed to at home (Cartoons) Clay watched and waited patiently and contentedly for over three hours until his doctor came in to prep and analyze him for surgery. When the doctor entered the room Clay's demeanor changed instantly and he realized the fun was over. As the doctor left and the nurse prepared to wheel him to the O.R. Clay told Deidra and I that he felt sick. We assured him it was just nerves and he would be fine. We told him it was just like all the other times and he would go to sleep and we would be at his bed when he awoke. The older he gets the more he dreads the procedures. They wheeled him of to the OR and Deidra and I went down stairs for a cup of coffee. We no more ordered our drinks and were seated when I received a call saying the physician needed to see us. We rushed back up and the surgeon met us and said there was nothing to worry about but Clay had become sick at his stomach upon the onset of anesthesia. He was of the opinion it was nerves and wanted to proceed but the anesthesiologist would not proceed with the surgery for fear of aspiration if Clay was ill again. Procedure canceled. We were told they wanted to observe Clay for a few hours to make sure he was OK. When we went in the recovery room he was more than OK. He was sitting up ready to eat Jello, Popsicles, Apple Juice, Etc. and asked when we could go eat and go home. We asked him if he was nervous about surgery and he said yes and he thought if they put the expander in his scalp he might not be able to swim at spring break. Mom told him if we did not have this done now he may miss an entire summer of swimming. We are waiting on a new schedule, apparently O.R. time stays pretty booked. We are going to try a different approach and premedicate in the pre-op room to see if we can ease his mind a little until they get him asleep. All things happen for a reason and apparently yesterday was not the day for Clay to have his surgery. I hope all is well in your part of the world. We will add more details and a date for round two when we learn more. Take Care.

Friday, August 26

At our friend's ranch in SE Colorado

Cody with his frogs

Clay with his frogs

Colorado

Hello to all! Once again, we haven't posted an update for quite awhile. Now that school has started, we may have more time to post. The boys had an nice summer. Clay's favorite activity was swimming. We are in a severe drought along with temperatures in the triple digits; so, Clay did most of his swimming in the late afternoon/evening hours. We spent some time on the coast in South Texas at Pappy & Grandma's. We enjoyed our church convention in July. The boys also enjoyed the show/musical "Texas" (Palo Duro Canyon State Park) with family and friends. They thought it was really cool that one of their cousins was part of the show this summer. We escaped the heat, for a little while, with a trip to Colorado; and, enjoyed our time with my sister & her family.

Carson is in the 7th grade this year, Cody 4th grade, and Clay 2nd grade. They have enjoyed their first week of school; although, Cody is our little "homebody" and would rather be at home than at school. Clay came home the first day of school and said "I love school"! Clay's next surgery is scheduled for Sept 12. Dr. Trussler will place a tissue expander under the little bit of hair on Clay's scalp. As we begin to fill this expander and it gets larger, we are thinking of different types of hats that he might be able to wear during this time. Dr. Trussler will also perform surgery on Clay's left hand and do some work around his mouth/lips.

Clay's attitude towards life continues to teach us so much. We were at a 4-H event a few weeks ago, and a family sat down across the table from us. The minute their child saw Clay, this child wanted to leave the table. With what ensued after that, I was on the verge of tears. I told Chance that I needed to go sit in the car until I stopped crying. I cried harder when Clay patted my arm and said "It'll be ok, mom". When Carson asked why mom was crying, Clay answered "She's crying because a kid thought that I was scary". Here's Clay who has been through so much and who's appearance is changed forever; yet, he was the one comforting us. We have prayed earnestly that God would "keep" him through all that he will face in future days. This strength that he has, only comes from God. So thankful for God's presence.
Clay was swinging with his cousin this summer, and a girl jumped off the swing beside them and said "I can't swing with burned kids". Clay walked away with his head down; but, a few minutes later he was playing again. Our cousin told us about this incident days later. So thankful for Clay's resilience and kindness. I pray that any unkind words, comments, stares, or unkindness from others would never squelch his spirit. We are thankful for the many who see Clay for the person he is, along with his big heart.

I am posting a picture of Clay with some frogs he shot. There was a silent auction at one of our recent 4-H fundraisers. Clay saw a rifle in the auction he thought he had to have. He was pulling on Chance's arm saying "Please (bid)write my name down, dad". Chance's response was "Son, I'm not going to pay that for the rifle". When Clay heard the announcement that the silent auction was over, he put his head down and cried. Three men from Graham, TX purchased the rifle for Clay. They noticed how much Clay wanted the rifle and made sure they secured the bid. They brought the rifle to our table and sat it in front of Clay. Clay raised his head and quickly dried his tears. All the way home we heard from the boys in the back seats; "Dad, can we shoot the rifle when we get home? Dad, can we look at it again before you put it up? Dad, can we shoot a deer? Dad, can we go rabbit hunting? Dad, will you take us hunting tomorrow? Dad...Dad....Dad....". Chance took Cody & Clay (Carson was busy) to the tank (pond) in the back pasture and the picture shows the frogs they got with dad's help. They were able to sneak upon a rabbit too. No, we did not have frog legs for supper. :)

Children's Medical Center's Plastic Surgery Department has asked if Clay would be one of their co-captains for Children's Red Balloon Run & Relay in October. The name of the team is "Fantastico Plastico". If any in the Dallas area are interested in the run/relay, we'd love for you to be a part of our team. 100% of the proceeds raised by the team will benefit Children's Medical Center's Plastic Surgery Department. redballoonevent.org

I did not intend for this to be so long. Hope all is well with each one of you. Thanks again for your care. ~The Fite Family (Chance, Deidra, Carson, Cody, & Clay)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Cody playing golf in the Tower Extrusions Golf Tournament.

Clay playing golf.

Boys fishing

Clay's baseball glove

Brothers

Hello to all. Once again, it has taken us awhile to update the blog (2+ months). Clay is away at burn camp this week. Chance & I were hesitant to send him, but Clay was very excited about going. It does ease our minds knowing that nurses & therapists from the burn unit will also be at camp. Clay had his most recent surgery 2 wks ago (May 25th). His Plastic Surgeon pulled up his lower eyelids by attaching the skin (tissue) to the bone on outer edges of eye-socket. He also released scars below Clay's nostrils, between eyes, one side of mouth and small area on neck. Needless to say, Clay had stitches all over his face & his eyes were swollen for days.

Clay has been wanting to play baseball all year; so, Chance coached his baseball team this past Spring. Clay was named the best "one-handed batter" on the team. We had a special glove made for him at the Nokona glove factory in Nocona, Texas. It has a special sleeve that he wraps around his forearm to keep the glove on. Carson & Cody played baseball too & enjoyed it. I'll post some pictures of the baseball trio.

It has already turned out to be a really hot summer with temps in the triple digits. Our two chickens and rooster are big now, and the rooster crows all day! Choco (our Jack Russell) & the rooster do not care for one another. The rooster chases Choco & shows him who's boss. Choco keeps his distance. ~Hope you all are having a wonderful week~The Fite Family

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Carson & Cody with Carson's steer at Houston Stock Show.

Carson is behind his steer and Cody is holding his ribbon.

Good morning! Just thought I would give a quick update. I have posted a picture of Clay's neck. As you recall, this was his most extensive surgery (Dec.). The contracting burn scars had caused his chin to contract to his chest. Looking at the picture, you will be able to see how much his neck released. This skin flap was taken from his right thigh and and surgically attached to blood vessels in his neck. It has healed really well.

The boys had their Spring Break last week & we went South (to the coast) so they could see their grandparents & go to the beach. Chance, Carson, & Cody were at the Houston stock show the week before Spring Break (this was the last stock show for us this year). Carson's steer made the sale. Cody was in tears when he realized that he would not be able to bring his steer back home, but would have to say goodbye to him. Chance brought some calves from the back pasture to the barn; the boys will start working with these calves to get them gentle for next year.
Clay has another appointment next week with his doctor. At this time, we will plan his next surgery & he will be fitted with a mouth splint. It will be necessary for him to wear this splint to prevent the corners of his mouth from contracting again.
In our last blog entry, we mentioned that Clay bought 2 baby chicks. Well, those baby chicks are not so tiny anymore and outgrew their box really fast. Chance may be forced to build a chicken coop soon. :) No more "cute, fuzzy, soft" chicks.....now it is "scratch, peck, & run" when the boys try to pick them up. We hope you all have a wonderful day! Thanks again for your care! Love from the Fite Family (Chance, Deidra, Carson, Cody, & Clay)

Monday, February 21, 2011

Hello to all! As most of you already know, this past Valentine's day was the two year mark since Clay's accident and he also had his most recent surgery on the 14th. His trach tube is out and he is doing great! Last Monday, the ENT doctors examined Clay's airway under anesthesia and removed his trach tube Tuesday morning. They monitored him Tuesday night and we came home Wed. afternoon. Clay's plastic surgeon (Dr. Trussler) released the scars on the corners of Clay's mouth - made incisions on both sides. The procedure was called a "commisuroplasty". Before the procedure, Clay was not able to open his mouth wide enough for us to see his teeth; and now we can see his teeth. At our follow-up appt. in a few weeks, they will make him a mouth splint to wear at night. I was a little nervous about how Clay would do without his trach tube; but, he has had no problems physically or mentally and the stoma (opening in his neck where the trach tube was) has already closed. We will be making plans for his next surgery when we see his doctor again in a few weeks.

Carson & Cody did not make the sale at the Ft. Worth or San Antonio stock shows with their steers. Looks like they will be taking their steers to the Houston stock show(in March). We also have 2 new additions to our 'animal farm'. Clay bought 2 baby chicks at the feed store a few days ago. The boys named them but I forgot the names-I'll have to ask again when they get home from school. The chicks were the last thing we needed, but they are really cute.
Cody will turn 9 yrs. old this Wednesday (23rd).
Thanks again for all! Love from the Fites (Chance, Deidra, Carson, Cody, & Clay)

January 21, 2011

Hello to all & thank you again for your care. Clay's neck & donor sites are healing well from his recent surgery (Dec.). He did have some sutures that were supposed to dissolve but did not. His body had a reaction to them instead, and several areas on his leg (donor site) were inflamed. After a trip to see our doctor, this past Monday, our minds are now at ease.

Clay will have a documented sleep study within the next month or so. His next surgery is tentatively scheduled for mid to late February. The ENT doctors want to take Clay to O.R. & scope his airway (under anesthesia). If all looks good in the O.R., they will take Clay's tracheostomy tube out & then keep him in the hospital for a few days to monitor him. Clay's doctor (Dr. Trussler) will release scars at the edges of Clay's mouth during this same time. To prevent Clay from having to go under anesthesia more than is necessary, Clay's doctor & ENT doctor will perform his next surgery/procedure simultaneously.

Our county livestock show is this week. Cody is old enough this year to show animals and is very excited about it. Carson & Cody will show their pigs this afternoon and their steers tomorrow. I will post some pictures of Clay's "new" neck when I get a chance to. Thanks again for all & Take Care!

Surgery Update 12/22/2010

Hello to all,

Clay underwent an 11 hour surgical procedure on Tuesday December the 14th. The official name for it was a free muscle or myocutaneous flap with microvascular anastomosis, in layman's terms. They took a large portion of full thickness skin and a portion of the muscle from his right thigh and transplanted it to his neck and chin. This piece of skin was attached microscopically to the existing blood supply in his neck. They attached the veins to the new skin flap to feed it and let it grow with him. He also had two tissue expanders in each shoulder. These were removed and the expanded skin was spread out across a portion of his chest and shoulders. The combination of these two procedures seem to have given Clay alot more room in his own skin. When they made the incision under his chin through the existing burn scars, Clay's neck came up 15 centimeters, (nearly 6 inches) this is amazing to see in that he now has a semblance of a chin and neck which we have not seen in a long time. The trach which was situated right below his bottom lip now looks like it is at the top of his chest. We thought this might be removed during this procedure but due to safety concerns and caution the Doctors elected to leave it in a little bit longer. Clay spent two nights in ICU; and, was then moved to a regular hospital room for 5 days. He is now using a walker to maneuver around until the donor site on his leg heals. We arrived home Monday afternoon. Mom (Deidra) stayed at the hospital for the week, while Grandma & I traded places back and forth with Carson and Cody. We are thankful for all of the prayers, meals, visits, and concern of friends and family. Clay has a strong little spirit and we have learned much by being with him. We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. We hope 2011 holds nothing but the best for all.


With sincere thanks,

The Fite Family

Saturday, November, 27

Stayed at the Swan Hotel

The boys visiting the cockpit during our flight.

Boys with Debbie (Clay's nurse at Children's clinic)

Chance & boys (Animal Kingdom)

The boys with Mickey & Minnie

The boys and myself with Kidd Kraddick (thanks, Kidd)

Southwest Airline's Kidd's Kids plane

Boys with Beauty & The Beast

Hello to all, we hope you had a happy Thanksgiving-we have so much to be thankful for. We wanted to let you know that Clay's surgery date has been changed to Tuesday, December 14. Our scheduling coordinator had to change the date to accommodate an additional physician. With this being an extensive procedure, two Plastic Surgeons will be in the O.R. Clay is scheduled from 11:30am-7:30pm in the O.R.(8 hr. surgery with many hours of anxiety in the waiting room).

We've recently returned from Walt Disney World in Florida. Clay was chosen for a special trip for terminally & chronically ill children (Kidd's Kids trip). Our nurse, at Children's hospital, told us about the trip and asked us to fill out an application. She told us about the trip this past Spring and begged us to send in the application before the August deadline. She was very persistent, and her persistence paid off. We mailed our application, and found out a few weeks later that Clay had been chosen. I believe there were 52 families chosen. It was an incredible trip for us & we are thankful that we were able to go. Some videos and pictures can be seen at kiddskids.com & I am posting a few of our own on the blog.

Carson turned 12 yrs. old last Saturday (Nov. 20th). It is hard to believe he's already 12. Our boys are growing up fast! We want to cherish these special years!

We are grateful for your care!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Hello to all! Once again, it has taken me a month to post. Clay has really healed well from his last surgery on Sept. 27th & is a very active little boy. His next surgery is scheduled for Dec. 13th. The scheduling coordinator had to block out a full day (8 hrs) in the O.R. for this next surgery. It will be his most-extensive surgery so far & I am worried about him being under anesthesia that long. Our Plastic Surgeon will release his neck. The tissue expanders, on his shoulders, will be taken out and the expanded skin will be brought across his chest (below his trach). The Dr. will then take a large, full-thickness, skin graft from Clay's right thigh and place it under his neck.
The contracting scars have pulled Clay's chin down to his chest. He did have a neck-release surgery last year, but his scars were still in the maturation stage. As long his scars were maturing (18months-2years), they continued to contract. Clay's scars are almost fully mature (with the exception of a few). Since they are now mature, we will begin to see big differences with his surgeries. Some have wondered why Clay had so many surgeries during the "scar maturation stage" and he had to have those surgeries to keep functional. We will meet with our Plastic Surgeon on Nov. 30th and discuss surgery details further. Many have also asked if Clay's trach will be removed during this surgery. Clay's trach will NOT be removed at this time. It will stay in place until he gains enough extension in his neck for safe intubations during surgeries.
Clay and I (mom) attended the World Burn Congress in Galveston, TX a few weeks ago. He met some new buddies there. We also enjoyed our recent Fall church conventions. Clay also showed his miniature steer at our county "prospect" show last weekend. Cody showed his steer, too. It was good practice for both boys.
A nice thought passed on from our recent church conventions was this: "Our thanks is the only thing God doesn't have, until we give it to Him." I want to give my thanks to God everyday. We feel like we can't give much in return for all that has been done for Clay; but, we can give our thanks. We thank you for all!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Hello again to all. We are going to post & give an update on Clay's recent surgery; but first, we wanted you to know that we received tragic news today. Dr. Purdue (co-director of Parkland's Burn Unit for 22 yrs.) died this morning. He was riding his motorcycle and was hit by a 24-yr.old drunk driver. Our hearts are heavy & the tears won't stop. Dr. Purdue (& his team) were the first ones with Clay when he arrived on Care Flight at Parkland last year. He did the majority of Clay's surgeries and his expertise helped save Clay's life. We will forever be grateful for everything he did & I only wish I could tell him again how he touched our lives. We were looking forward to seeing him at Clay's next burn clinic appointment.......he will be missed very much. We pray for his family, too.

Aside from this sad news, Clay's surgery went well. Clay had an early morning surgery & the doctor let us come back home that afternoon. Clay has to keep his left leg in a splint (straight) for 3 weeks; but, he is allowed to walk on it. The doctor also took a large, keloid scar off of his stomach and performed a Z-plasty on a scar on his back and under left arm. The Z-plasty is a plastic surgery technique that is used to release scar contractures and improve function. Clay was not in a condition to go to school last week; but, he is ready to go to school in the morning. His teacher came to our house to do his lessons this past week & his therapists came to see him. We are grateful again for each one involved in his recovery process and care.

We also want you all to know how thankful we are for you. We do not want precious moments to slip by without expressing our thanks.
Amidst the tears I have cried today, a hymn came to my mind and reminded me again of the importance of TODAY because we may not have tomorrow. ~Deidra

"Today is mine, tomorrow may not be.
How brief this life, how long eternity!
Swiftly & surely sands of time will run-
Finished earth's day, eternity begun.

Today is mine to do His righteous will
And self deny, His purpose to fulfill;
Today is mine to find this source of rest;
Doing His will we prove His will is best."
(Hymns Old & New)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Hello again to all. School is in full swing and Clay loves school! He just attends for half a day but wants to go full days. He loves to get on the bus with his brothers in the mornings and I pick him up at 11:00am. First grade has lunch at this time, so I arrive each day just before lunch period. Clay has eaten in the cafeteria a couple of times with one of his therapists. This therapist wants to go to the cafeteria with Clay a few more times before he eats there on his own. She (therapist) says it's tricky for him to grasp his lunch tray. She is not comfortable yet with letting Clay go on his own (I'm not either). He would love to go each day to the cafeteria, but doesn't want me (mom) by his side everyday. He wants to have the freedom to go on his own. Clay does get to go to the cafeteria in the mornings and sit with his friends until it's time to go to the classroom. Cody has been a big help with Clay at school. Carson is now in the Jr. High school; so, Cody is Clay's "big" brother when they are at the Elementary school.
Parkland hospital may come and present a "school-reentry" program for Clay again. He seems to be very comfortable in his classroom and with his teacher. His teacher this year is the same one who came to the house last year for his "homebound" studies. Several of Clay's little friends are in his class, so that helps. Clay has also started piano lessons this year. Although he will not be able to play much with his left hand, he is excited about learning. His piano teacher has taught for many years and has been very helpful. Carson took piano lessons from her for 5 years. Her husband is Cody's piano teacher.
Clay's next surgery is still scheduled for the 27th. Although, we have discussed a few changes with his Plastic Surgeon. Initially, the plan was to place a tissue expander under the scalp, excise a scar on his back, excise a scar band on back of knee, take tissue expander out of leg, and wrap the expanded skin around the back of knee. This surgery plan has changed some. One of Clay's therapist has monitored him in the classroom. It was noted that Clay could be more functional if the scar bands under his arms could be released. Also, Clay has been favoring his right side as he walks. He says that it hurts to stand up straight because of a contracting scar on the right side of his stomach. Therefore, his doctor will release scar bands under his arms and on his stomach and work on the knee (as originally planned).
Although life is busy, we don't want to forget that our strength comes from God. We are thankful again for your thoughts and prayers. Sincerely, Chance, Deidra, Carson, Cody, & Clay

Monday, August 16

Hello to all! Well, once again, a month has already slipped by since we last posted. We enjoyed our annual church convention in July. Carson & Clay went to South Texas again, the week after convention, with my sister and aunt. Cody wanted to stay with us & enjoyed all the special attention without his brothers around. My older sister and her family had to fly back to Argentina on Aug.2. They spent most of their summer in the states visiting family & friends. They get to move back to the U.S. next year & it will be nice to have them back home. We enjoyed our time with them this summer.
We took a family vacation to Colorado on Aug.5. My twin sister and her family live in Denver & there's so much to do around that area. We enjoyed the cool mountains and came back to Texas to face triple-digit temperatures. Clay enjoyed the cooler temperatures the most! A strong storm moved through our area while we were on vacation. We found the boy's swingset in pieces when we arrived back home, and an insurance adjuster is coming in the morning to asess our roof damage.
We met with Dr. Trussler (Clay's Plastic Surgeon) on Aug.3 and his next surgery is tenatively planned for Sept. 27. Dr. Trussler will take the tissue expander out of Clay's leg, remove the scar band on the back of his knee and wrap the expanded skin over that area. He will also excise a scar on Clay's back. This is the scar that itches the most and is very bothersome to Clay. Dr. Trussler will also place a tissue expander under Clay's hair at the front of his scalp. I guess it's time to start expanding his hair. I didn't exactly know how to react when the Dr. mentioned this; but, Clay started bouncing up and down and said "Yeah! Now I can be an alien for Halloween! Oh, and mom, could you tape two antennae to my expander?" If you can picture this......it will look like Clay has a bubble on the front of his head. Our reactions were both so different-Clay was excited and I was worried.
Clay will have his largest surgery (neck) closer to the Christmas holidays. Dr. Trussler wants to keep the tissue expanders in Clay's shoulders until December. We will put the last dose of saline in the shoulder expanders this week. Then Dr. Trussler wants to keep them under the skin for 3 more months. This will enable the stretched skin to become stronger. I hope this makes some sense. Sometimes it is difficult to explain. All these procedures, that were once so foreign to us, are now what we have become accustomed to. As a result, my explanations may be as clear as mud to you.
School starts next week. Carson will be in Jr. High, Cody will be in 3rd grade, and Clay will be in 1st. Clay will only attend school for half a day. He can still be qualified as a "homebound" student if he attends no longer than half a day. We need the "homebound" services for when he has his big surgeries this year. We are praying & trusting that God will show us what to do about our "school" situation.
I need to post some more pictures when I get a new camera. I accidently dropped my camera into a bag that I was delivering to Goodwill. The camera and memory card are gone. The memory card had pictures of Clay's hospital stay, and pictures throughout this past year of his recovery. I called the Goodwill store and went and searched through boxes myself; but, to no avail.
Thank you again for your continued care-we are grateful! Take Care!

Tuesday, July 13th

Hello to everyone still watching this blog. Clay turned 7 years old yesterday. He gave us a little scare last week and we were not sure he was going to be out of the hospital in time to celebrate. He spent some time in South Texas with his brothers and cousins recently. Upon his arrival home on Wednesday night he felt a little warm and feel asleep during meeting. The next day he slept late and we went to a benefit lunch for him in Graham. As we were going in to eat Deidra noticed he was holding his left hand. When asked about it he told us it hurt and he thought it had a sunburn. We looked it over and noticed it was swollen and there were red streaks starting up his forearm. He was lethargic during lunch and we called his surgeon in Dallas to determine our course of action. He asked that we bring him to Dallas to the E.R. as quickly as possible. When we arrived he had a temperature of 102.2 and was quickly placed in a room and put on an I.V.
We spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at Children's in Dallas. The doctors are still not certain what type of infection he had acquired but by Saturday he was back to his old self and spent the majority of the day exploring the hospital. We think he captured too many frogs while at Corpus. We asked him about this and he said, " There weren't many frogs there this time but I caught a bunch of toads." Anyway he is home on an oral antibiotic and does not seem to be suffering any ill effects. As soon as they had his fever under control Clay really enjoyed this hospital visit, it was the least painful trip he has ever experienced. Everyone is busy at the Fite house. It seems as if this summer is flying by. Hope everyone is doing well and maybe we will see you somewhere soon.

Friday, June 11 (2010)

Lt. Zach Hart & Lt. Austin Hendrickson helping Clay "fly" in the simulator.

Cody in flight simulator

ENJJPT Class 10-06

Thank you for serving our country!

Clay & Cody with 2Lt. Austin Hendrickson

ENJJPT(Euro-Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training) Class 10-06; Katie in white; Cody& Clay in front; Chance & myself standing between Major Scott Segal & 2Lt. Austin Hendrickson along with all the other special pilots.

Clay trying on a helmet



Clay in the flight simulator

Sign that we passed when we entered the base.

Hello to all! Yes, once again, it has been awhile since we have posted any news. First of all, I have uploaded some pictures to Clay's blog. One of the pictures is included with the previous posting (in April). It is a picture of the boys (and a cousin) standing behind Clay's miniature steer. The group of pictures, included with this post, were taken yesterday. We were invited to Sheppard Air Force Base yesterday evening. Katie Crosbie with Channel 3 in W.F. has been following Clay's story since his accident. She has now become the boy's adopted aunt :-) and she accompanied us. She is friends with many of the airmen at the base. One of her friend's, 2Lt. Austin Hendrickson, wanted to do something special for Clay & his brothers. Austin, along with his ENJJPT Class 10-06, planned a special evening for the boys. They served pizza for dinner & as Clay was eating his pizza, he said "Mom, it's like we are having a pizza party!" They gave them a framed T-38 picture (signed by the pilots), shirts, and patches. They took us to the Sims (simulators) where Cody & Clay got to "fly" for awhile. Then they let the boys try on the helmets and parachutes. We were able to walk out to the flightline to look at a T-38. Last, but not least, we got to go to the RSU (Runway Supervisory Unit) to watch the night take-offs. What a once-in-a-lifetime experience and what a top-notch group of gentlemen! Thank you for this! You all may be wondering why Carson (our oldest) wasn't mentioned; but, he is enjoying his time at one of our church conventions in Colorado (he'll return home on Sunday). Believe me, Cody & Clay will be ready to tell him about their experience with the pilots.

Clay had his first dose of saline placed in his tissue-expanders on May 24th. The PA and nurse taught us how to insert the saline at home. This is helpful because it saves us from having to drive to Dallas on a weekly basis. Chance helps me do it each time because I don't like to insert it on my own. Cody helps as well & gets the supplies together(it's a family affair). The port to the expander on Clay's left shoulder has slipped under the expander and will have to be surgically repositioned. Clay's next surgery will be next Friday (June 18). Dr. Bidic will perform surgery on both of Clay's hands and reposition the tissue expander port. He will deepen the web space between Clay's fingers on his right hand; and, he will have to do some skin grafting on Clay's left hand as he deepens the web space and releases a scar band. This will not be Clay's last surgery; but, it will be our last with Dr. Bidic. We will meet our new Plastic Surgeon this same day (recommended by Dr. Bidic). As I mentioned, Dr. Bidic is moving to the East coast & a new Plastic Surgeon will take over Clay's care.

All in all, everyone is doing fine. The company that Chance works for (Tower Extrusions) had their annual Jr. Golf Tournament last Saturday. The boys enjoyed it and Clay played too. Last year, at this time, we said that Clay would probably never be able to hold a golf club again. He proved us wrong and amazes us in so many ways. Many lessons have been learned from him. Carson's orthodontist told him that it is time to put braces on his teeth. Carson will have braces put on in a few weeks. He never could wait until he got braces, and now he's not too sure about it.

We want you all to know how thankful we are for your continued encouragement. We always mention that we will try to post more often, but life doesn't slow down much (and we are not sure how many still follow this blog). I'm reminded again of one of the boy's favorite hymns "Time is fleeting, flowers are falling, Life will soon be past; Pause and ponder where thou goest: Time is flying fast".

Heartfelt thanks from the Fite Family!