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Employee leans on Beaumont Children’s to help daughter with EDS                         

Brett Eckel, trauma chaplain at Beaumont, Royal Oak, knew his daughter was falling further behind physically and failing to meet the gross milestones that a typical baby her age would.

“Elise was not lifting her head during tummy time or rolling over at 7 ½ months old,” Brett recalled.

When it was time for Elise to seek medical attention, Brett and his wife Gina knew she was in good hands at Beaumont. Brett comes from a family that has trusted and depended on Beaumont for decades. His mother and father, sister and two cousins are also Beaumont employees. “Beaumont has been a place I have known and relied on my entire life,” said Brett.

Elise was diagnosed with Arthrochalasia Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, or aEDS. “We are very grateful that our daughter received her diagnosis at 13-months-old,” said Brett. “The average time to diagnosis Ehlers-Danlos syndromes is 10-12 years.”

EDS is a group of disorders that affect the body's connective tissues, including the skin, joints, blood vessels, gut and many other organs and tissues. The chronic, lifelong condition affects more than one in 5,000 people, males and females of every age and race.

Several Beaumont specialists care for Elise, including a gastroenterologist, orthopedist and physical medicine and rehabilitation. “The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation team provides education to patients and families about the importance of achieving each milestone of development,” said Michele Avery, physical therapist at Beaumont Children's Rehabilitation Services. “We emphasize on strength, sitting/standing balance, gait and coordination/motor planning skills.”

For Elise’s condition, it is important to strengthen the core, hip and gluteal regions to ensure she is using proper body mechanics/alignment while learning all developmental skills. “During physical therapy sessions, I motivate patients with age-appropriate toys and games to complete given tasks,” said Michele.

Physical therapists also work with family members by demonstrating the task to be accomplished and allowing for hands-on interventions so they can establish independence and compliance with an at-home exercise program. “Throughout the treatment sessions, I frequently educate the family on the purpose of each intervention, and discuss the patient's progression toward their goals,” said Michele.

To help her joints, Elise wears a hip brace while she sleeps to ensure her hip joint is held in the socket and to encourage proper growth. She will also have ankle/foot orthoses to assist with proper alignment and to provide support when she begins walking.

Michele has been working with Elise and her family for three months and has seen steady progress toward her initial goals. Elise is expected to achieve most of her new goals in approximately six to nine months, “It depends on how often the patient attends physical therapy and how often the family works with the patient at home,” said Michele.  

The Eckel family is hopeful that greater awareness of EDS will lead to more research, new treatments and a cure. They wear bracelets to help raise awareness, and Gina was successful in getting the City of Sterling Heights to designate May 2021 as EDS Awareness Month.

“Having gone to Beaumont my entire life, my family will continue to go there for our health care needs,” said Brett. “Everyone has been very helpful, professional and kind to us.”

To learn more about EDS, visit ehlers-danlos.com

Mobile Heartbeat alternate caller ID feature temporarily disabled

Due to possible patient safety impact, the Mobile Heartbeat alternative caller ID feature, available for iPhone personal device users, has been temporarily disabled to ensure that calls can be completed as dialed.

Providers have reported that when calling a dynamic role with the alternative caller ID feature activated, they receive a message preventing the call from connecting. Mobile Heartbeat is working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Updates will continue to be provided once alternative solutions for caller ID are developed. 

Please note, without alternate caller ID available, your cell phone number will display on caller ID. For questions or issues, please contact the Service Desk at 888-481-2448.

New Medical Laboratory Science Training program with Beaumont Laboratory

The Beaumont School of Medical Laboratory Science is offering a new 44-week clinical laboratory education program and is now accepting applicants for a planned start date in the fourth quarter this year. This program is designed for candidates with a B.S. degree in Microbiology or Biochemistry. It will consist of a concentrated lecture series in the first half, followed by clinical laboratory rotations in the second half. Students who successfully complete the program are eligible to apply for the national certification exam offered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification. View the program flyer for more information.