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Family coping with destructive disease 
RECOVERING: Angel Lavalle is hospitalized in Austin, unable to breath without assistance after transverse myelitis attacked his spinal column.
Photo by Rebecca Lackie |
By REBECCA LACKIE Before May 11, Angel Lavalle was a normal 13-year-old boy. He liked watching “Drake and Josh” on Nickelodeon. He liked to practice driving around the family's 10-acre property. He enjoyed lifting weights and eating tacos during Friday get-togethers at his Aunt Carmen's house. Before May 11, the Lavalle family was like any other, but on that day things changed. May 11 was field day at Taylor Middle School. The event had just started, and Angel Lavalle was participating in the three-legged race. He was feeling fine and enjoying himself, when all of a sudden things changed drastically. “I was running and jumping, and I heard something pop,” Lavalle said. “Then after about 10 seconds, I fell.” After the fall, however, Lavalle found that he was unable to get back to his feet. He couldn't move his arms and legs. He started to become frantic. School officials had no idea what was wrong and ran to help. A staff member called EMS, which rushed Lavalle to Johns Community Hospital. However, on the way there his condition worsened, and he stopped being able to breath unassisted. Since that day, Lavalle has been moved to Brackenridge Hospital in Austin, where he is being treated for transverse myelitis, a rare condition that attacks without warning. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, transverse myelitis is a condition in which inflammation around the spinal cord destroys the body's myelin, a fatty substance covering the nerves. When the myelin is destroyed, the nervous system develops scars that interrupt communication between the nerves in the spinal cord and the rest of the body, causing differing levels of malfunction. Some of the symptoms of transverse myelitis are as minimal as lower back pain or muscle weakness, in other cases the symptoms are as severe as paralysis. The segment of the spinal cord that has been damaged determines which body parts are affected. “When we got the call, the doctor said it was only neck and back pain,” Angel Lavalle's aunt Carmen said. “Since he left [the house] normal, we thought it wasn't a big deal. We thought he'd be OK.” However, later diagnosis proved that her son's condition was far more serious than was previously thought. Currently, Angel Lavalle is on a respirator to help him breathe. He has a tracheotomy, a feeding tube and has little to no movement from the neck down. His family has been keeping a bedside vigil for more than a month now and praying for Lavalle's recovery. His father, Oscar Lavalle, said he still doesn't think the experience is real. He said he wakes up some mornings thinking the experience is a dream. He said the experience has been both financially and morally draining for the family. The family has been staying in a room at the Ronald McDonald House near Brackenridge Hospital, where they await a sign of recovery. So far, Angel Lavalle has showed some mild recovery in his upper body, but the family said doctors do not know when and if he will recover fully. “We certainly hope that Angel continues to make improvement, and we wish his family well,” said Barbara Dale, vice superintendant for Taylor ISD. “We are concerned about him and will be pulling for him. His family is going through a financial and emotional struggle and it has to be draining.” “One of the most frustrating things for Angel is his loss of independence,” Carmen Lavalle said. “It is also frustrating that his parents have to decide to either be with him, or take care of the other two children back in Taylor. His father is devastated.” As a result of Lavalle's illness, neither parent is currently working, adding to the financial hardship. Oscar Lavalle said it is hard for him to focus on his job when he knows his son needs him. Another problem is a lack of health insurance. His parents are still in the process of trying to get Lavalle on Medicaid. “They have always been hard-working people, but something unexpected happened.” Carmen Lavalle said. “His mother's concern right now is to pay the bills, but when one of his parents leaves he gets very upset, and neither one of them want to interrupt his recovery.” “I have to be strong for my son, but it's hard,” said Angel's mother Teresa Lavalle. “It's like life stopped,” said Angel's brother, Leonel Lavalle. “Every Friday we used to go to my uncle's house to eat tacos and tamales and talk. Now we don't. We just sit here [in the hospital] and wait for him to get better.” The Lavalle family wants to thank the community, the hospital and good friends for the support they have received so far. They also ask for the community to continue to pray for their son's recovery. “His school, the principal, all of them have been very worried and want to help. They have had a lot of good intentions.” Carmen Lavalle said. Currently, Brackenridge Hospital is considering moving Angel Lavalle to a different facility that would be able to help him with rehabilitation. However, the facilities in discussion are all several hours drive from the family's Taylor home, creating an additional problem for the Lavalles. However, in spite of things, the Lavalles say they are trusting in God and praying for a miracle for their son. Donations are currently being taken for the Lavalle family at First Convenience Bank of Texas, which is located inside the Taylor Wal-Mart. To make a donation to the family, send a check made out to Oscar Lavalle to First Convenience Bank of Texas, 3701 N. Main St. Taylor, TX 76574 or drop by the bank and ask how to donate.
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