SHD Reun 312 - Shodair Children's Hospital
SHD Reun 312 - Shodair Children's Hospital
SHD Reun 312 - Shodair Children's Hospital
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Samantha Faulkner:<br />
Montana's 2012 <strong>Children's</strong> Miracle<br />
Network <strong>Hospital</strong>s Champion<br />
Eyes on the<br />
Future<br />
Samantha Faulkner seems wise<br />
beyond her ten years. It's not just her steady gaze<br />
and intelligence that captivate<br />
anyone who meets her; it's her<br />
drive to succeed despite her<br />
disabilities that make her a<br />
remarkable girl. These are just<br />
some of the qualities that make<br />
Samantha Montana's 2012<br />
<strong>Children's</strong> Miracle Network<br />
<strong>Hospital</strong>s Champion. At one<br />
month of age, Samantha was<br />
diagnosed with collagenopathy,<br />
thanks to the specialists in<br />
<strong>Shodair</strong> <strong>Children's</strong> <strong>Hospital</strong>'s<br />
Medical Genetics Department. This<br />
specialized team worked with the Faulkners to<br />
clarify Sam's diagnosis and to help them set a treatment<br />
plan in motion. In 2007, Sam was diagnosed<br />
with an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT),<br />
which reoccurred nearly a year later, and again last<br />
year. The reccurances were monitored by Seattle<br />
<strong>Children's</strong> <strong>Hospital</strong> and Samantha's local<br />
pediatrician. IMT is a lifelong disease requiring<br />
ongoing treatment.<br />
Sam continues to be seen by <strong>Shodair</strong>'s genetics team<br />
at outreach clinics in Great Falls, a short distance<br />
from her home in Ulm. <strong>Shodair</strong>'s specialists<br />
recently further refined Samantha's genetic diagnosis<br />
to one of Stickler syndrome, a connective tissue<br />
disorder that can include retinal detachment,<br />
hearing loss, and mild precocious arthritis.<br />
(See sidebar story for more details).<br />
Samantha's connection to <strong>Shodair</strong> actually began<br />
before she was born. Her mother, Erin, was seen by<br />
the hospital's genetics specialists as a teen regarding<br />
her short stature. Several years later, Erin was seen<br />
again at <strong>Shodair</strong> for some answers regarding issues<br />
with her vision, hearing, and joints, leading to a<br />
diagnosis of Stickler syndrome for Erin as well.<br />
Perhaps it's a combination of her family's medical<br />
challenges and her empathy for others that are<br />
driving Samantha's desire to become an OB/GYN<br />
someday. “It would be interesting,” she explains in<br />
her matter of fact way. “I like science, I like babies,<br />
and I like doctors.”<br />
As part of Samantha's<br />
ongoing care, her treatment<br />
team also includes<br />
vision, hearing, and orthopedic<br />
specialists. With<br />
their help, she participates<br />
in school and sports with<br />
plenty of enthusiasm and a<br />
few accommodations. In<br />
addition to Sam wearing a<br />
hearing aid in each ear,<br />
her interpreter from the Montana School for the<br />
Deaf and Blind helps her keep pace with what's<br />
going on in her fourth-grade classroom at Lewis and<br />
Clark Elementary in Great Falls. To participate in<br />
soccer, Samantha trades her eyeglasses for contacts<br />
and special goggles she calls “rec specs” in order to<br />
minimize the chance of a detached retina occurring.<br />
This young Champion is excited about what lies<br />
ahead in the coming year as she serves as<br />
Montana's <strong>Children's</strong> Miracle Network <strong>Hospital</strong>s<br />
Champion, joining over 50 other young<br />
ambassadors from across the nation participating<br />
in the Champions program.<br />
Samantha's selection will be officially announced<br />
during a special event this spring at the Great Falls<br />
Walmart, and in September, Sam and her family will<br />
fly to Washington DC, where they'll meet champion<br />
children from around the country.<br />
Above: Erin and Samantha Faulkner are pictured here on<br />
Samantha's tenth birthday. Both have been seen by <strong>Shodair</strong>'s<br />
genetics specialists for a condition called Stickler Syndrome. Right: An avid soccer player, Samantha gets a piggyback ride from<br />
her dad, Byron, after a Minibolts game.<br />
2 <strong>Reun</strong>ion