Isaac 'Bubba' Campbell: A Developmentally Challenged Young Boy with a Big Heart

Isaac "Bubba" Campbell is a young boy who has captured my heart recently. This brave boy and his family are fighting everyday for the treatment that would permanently remove the G.I feeding tube that Bubba has had since he was a year old.

Bubba was recently accepted in the Kennedy Kreiger Institute in Baltimore Maryland for an Intensive Feeding Program but because the insurance company considers this an experimental and unproven program, even though Kennedy Kreiger has a reported 95% success rate with weaning children off their feeding tubes, it is not covered by Bubba's health insurance. And since Medicaid works through a managed care organization like an HMO, Medicaid has refused to cover Bubba as well. Bubba's family has no idea how they will cover the $50,000 for this feeding program and he needs our help!!!

Bubba is severely developmentally challenged but that does not stop him from being a typical four year old boy who loves to goof around with his two older sisters - Hailey and Meredith Bird. He loves playing outside when the weather is good, especially in the rain and he definitely has a soft spot for those of the female persuasion - gracing them with a special smile and an adorable 'raise' of his eyebrows. But Bubba really does love everyone who is willing to spend time with him.

When asked for a memorable story about Bubba, Jason, his father, found it hard to come up with something that wouldn't make most normal humans heart break.

"I hate to say it, but most [of Bubba's stories] are just plain sad, and others are comparably such small accomplishments that most people would not understand how exciting they are. Like his picture in the red sweater where he is up on his hands and knees... that was a huge step forward." replied Bubba's father.

Some of the medical problems Bubba has dealt with are:

Premature birth - approximately 2 months early

Respiratory Distress Syndrome - resolved with a couple weeks on a ventilator

Jaundice (Hyperbilirubinemia) - resolved, common with premature babies

Patent Ductus Arteriosus - a valve in the heart failed to close after birth - resolved, common with premature babies

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension - high pressure in arteries between heart and lungs - resolved

Pneumothorax - Collapsed lung - 1 day old, only a scar remains, resolved

Febrile Convulsions - seizures due to inability to control body temperature

Hypotonia - low muscle tone

Opsoclonua Myclonus Syndrome - irregular movement of eyes and limbs

Failure to Thrive - resolved at approx 1.5 years old after G-Tube was placed! Major accomplishment

Patent Foramen Ovale - another heart valve which failed to close after birth - resolved in time

Developmental Delays

Gastroesophageal Reflux - resolved in time

Corpus Callosum Hypoplasia - the part of the brain the connects the right hemisphere with the left is smaller than normal

Bilateral Optic Nerve Dysplasia - underdeveloped optic nerves - seems to be resolved

Static Encephalopathy - general brain dysfunction

Metabolic Mitochondrial Disorder - genetic problem resulting in problems with changing food into energy

Neuromuscular Scoliosis - a type of scoliosis associated with muscles, not bone

Feeding Disorder - total food refusal

Mitochondrial Encephalopathy - Metabolic disorder caused by dysfunction of mitochondrial DNA

Epilepsy - Grand Mal seizure clusters - under control with medicine

At four years old, Bubba has been through far more than the average child but he still keeps a smile on his face and his arms open for hugs. If you would like to donate to this wonderful boy please click here to donate securely via paypal.

And for more information on Bubba visit his web page - www.BubbaManCan.com, Facebook page, and/or MySpace page.