Going Forward: Shaken-Baby Survivor Hitting Milestones
Boy Recovering After Being Shaken by Nanny; Family Focuses on Getting Message Out
Boulder Daily Camera
April 1, 2007
Tina McLaughlin kisses her son, 18-month-old Von, while playing with him in the basement of their home last week. Von suffered injuries to his brain and eyes after being shaken by his nanny a year ago. But since his recovery, the boy has hit every milestone a toddler should, and the family is using their experience to warn others about the dangers of shaken-baby syndrome.
Von McLaughlin bounces around his playroom even more than the balls he is after.
He stops to give his mom a quick hug and flashes a toothy grin before moving on to the toy box. And then he's after his big sister, Delaney, and the blue pen in her hand.
The boy's shirt says it all: "Von Cute." His pale blond hair frames a face that could grace the front of baby food jars, and his brown eyes squint when he purses his lips into a smile.
The family has enjoyed many mornings like this one in the carpeted playroom of their home. But "The Vonster" is much different today than he was a year ago, when tiny tubes connected his body to hospital machines and brain scans were frequent. Doctors told his parents they were unsure what to expect because the boy's brain and eyes were bleeding.
Von had been shaken by his nanny, invited into the family's Superior home from Costa Rica. She is serving a 10-year prison term at Brush Correctional Facility because of her nearly fatal attempt to silence the cries of the then-5-month-old.
Since his recovery, Von has hit every milestone that a toddler should. At 1 1/2, he can say "Mama" and "Dada," run across a room almost as quickly as the family cat, and quack when grabbing at a rubber duck.
But any long-term effects of the trauma caused to his eyes and brain may not be known until he can tell his parents what he sees, or when he begins school. His parents know this, but they're grateful he survived and seems to have beat the odds.
Now as Von moves forward, the McLaughlins are sharing their story in hopes that it will prevent other families from enduring that pain.
"I'm sad for everyone going through this who has not ended up in the same position as us," said Von's dad, Sean McLaughlin, 36.
Von's bubbly laugh and sweet kisses remind his mom, Tina McLaughlin, 37, how thankful she is every day. But she said she still thinks about her family's nightmare on a daily basis.
"I wish I didn't," she said. "I think we're pretty close to closure. But I don't know how you ever get closure on somebody else abusing your child."
Red flags
After the McLaughlins had their second child, they were thrilled they could afford a live-in nanny, who would also be able to take care of their daughter, then 3. The couple — who own greatBigcolor, a large-format printer in Commerce City — converted the basement of their Rock Creek home into an apartment for the nanny and began a search.
They saw an online classified ad on Craigslist.org from a Denver woman who was bringing two nannies from Costa Rica but needed only one. The McLaughlins wanted their kids to learn Spanish, and the idea of helping someone attain her dream of moving to the United States and going to school to improve her life was appealing. So Ligia Maria Naranjo-Zuniga seemed to be a great fit.
Her resumé said she had experience with children and was interested in studying child development. All of her references checked out, and she sounded perfect over the phone, Tina McLaughlin said.
But soon after picking up Naranjo-Zuniga, 29, at the airport, the couple started to question their choice. The nanny didn't seem to know how to handle a newborn, so Tina McLaughlin stayed home for two weeks to teach her the basics of feeding, napping and changing.
McLaughlin said she even warned Naranjo-Zuniga to never shake the baby in frustration, and told her to put him down and walk away if his cries overwhelmed her. She said the conversation was sort of laughed off, as if it would never be an issue.
It also became apparent soon after Naranjo-Zuniga arrived that she wasn't interested in a career involving children, Tina McLaughlin says. When they talked about school, Naranjo-Zuniga was more interested in studying photography.
The couple now wishes they had heeded those red flags, but at the time they felt like they couldn't kick a young woman to the curb after bringing her from another country. Still, after five weeks, they agreed they needed to make a change. The couple talked over the weekend and decided to confront the nanny soon.
Then that Wednesday, Tina McLaughlin got the call.
A parent's nightmare
The conversation — on March 8, 2006 — was only about 10 seconds long, Tina McLaughlin said. In a panicky voice, Naranjo-Zuniga said Von was on the floor and not moving.
Hysterical, McLaughlin called 911, and met her husband and son in the emergency room at Louisville's Avista hospital. When she saw the boy, whose eyes were rolling back in his head, she screamed.
Doctors said Von appeared to have been shaken, and the prognosis for those type of injuries was bleak.
Want to help?
The McLaughlins want to raise at least $50,000 to raise awareness about shaken-baby syndrome. They have formed the "Vonsters" bicycle team to ride in this summer's Children's Hospital Courage Classic — a 157-mile ride beginning in Leadville and taking cyclists through Vail, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge and Keystone.
The team is seeking donations, riders and corporate sponsors for the event, July 21 to 23. Everyone who donates will receive a Vonsters T-shirt, and riders will get a jersey, car decals and goodies from the team's sponsors, which so far include Kohl's, Go Fast Sports, Staubach Co., Nilex and Creative Print Solutions.
To learn about the ride, visit www.couragetours.com. To find the Vonsters page, click on "Tour Info," then "Find a Team."
"I just looked at Sean and said, 'What did that woman do?'" Tina McLaughlin said.
Naranjo-Zuniga later told investigators Von was crying a "mean" cry, so she shook him to see if he was all right.
Von was rushed to Children's Hospital in Denver, and a series of tests revealed he had significant blood-vessel breakage in the back of both eyes, filling them with blood. His brain was also bleeding from hitting the inside of his skull.
One doctor told the McLaughlins their son's injuries were consistent with him being dropped from a two-story window.
The parents were also told their baby had been shaken before; doctors had found older blood collected on the brain. Tina McLaughlin remembers thinking that Von was fighting a cold when he was 4 months old because he was lethargic for a spell — something she now knows is a symptom of shaken-baby syndrome.
Naranjo-Zuniga told investigators she shook Von once before when he wouldn't eat, but she denied that during her sentencing hearing. She is now appealing her case because she received the maximum penalty allowed by her plea deal.
Deputy District Attorney Colette Cribari, who prosecuted Von's case, has been involved in about six shaken-baby cases. Half of those children died, and most of the survivors are living with serious handicaps such as blindness and deafness.
Von's case, she said, is the best ending she's seen so far.
'That could be us'
Von came home from the hospital in a week, and the couple decided that Tina McLaughlin would stay home for a while to care for the kids.
The boy's recovery has been stellar: One neurologist told the family he appeared perfectly healed.
But the family still struggled with feelings of sadness and anger. They felt violated, Sean McLaughlin said.
"You don't want to be in that place, it's not a healthy place," he said. "We lost a bit of trust, but we've gained it back with time."
Even Delaney, now 4, was affected. She worried police would come get her if she hit her brother when he took her toys.
And for Tina McLaughlin, a mother's guilt took on a whole new meaning.
The family turned to Janet Dean for help. Dean heads the Community Infant Program in Boulder, which provides therapy for families in their homes.
She said Von is thriving because of his nurturing environment, and now the McLaughlins are using their story to educate people that shaking babies can injure or kill.
They're doing a three-day bike ride this summer in an effort to raise $50,000. The money will be used to spread the word about the devastation of shaken-baby syndrome through a Children's Hospital campaign set to kick off today, the first day of National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
"We are amazed at their bravery and appreciate they will use their heartache to educate others," said Debbie Federspiel, of Children's Hospital. "It just goes to show what kind of people they are — really generous and really wanting to make a difference."
Dean said she hopes the efforts will spur community dialogue.
"Most people in Boulder County may say, 'That could be us,'" she said.
There is no state mandate for medical professionals to talk to parents about the dangers of shaking a baby. But there is a movement at the federal level to free up $5 million for an education campaign that would include support for families whose shaken babies survive.
Whenever a news story runs about a shaken baby, Dean said, her office is flooded with calls for help. People say they had no idea it was dangerous, and they need tools to help them cope.
Moving on
It's a Monday afternoon, and "Tina's Cafe" is open for business in the McLaughlins' kitchen. Von and Delaney are waiting for turkey-and-cheese sandwiches.
Von pushes his bangs out of his face, and his eyes search for a spoon to dip into a cup of yogurt. He uses the tool for a minute or two, then pushes his chubby hand into the plastic container and hollers when it gets stuck.
He seems destined to be a daredevil on a bicycle or skateboard someday. But maybe he'll take after his sister, the family's artist, and concentrate his energy on paper ripped from a notebook.
Part-time school is just around the corner for him this summer, and his mom may be returning to work. Life is going on for the McLaughlins.
They say Von will hear the story about what happened to him someday.
Because of his previous brain injury, Von's parents will drive home the point that he needs to wear a helmet while skating or skiing, but it won't be something that's blown out or dwelled on.
"Going forward: That's what we're doing," Sean McLaughlin said. "That's what Von's doing."
SHAKEN-BABY SYNDROME
Shaken-baby syndrome is the leading cause of death of physically abused children in the United States. Nationally, an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 shaken children are treated every year, according to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. A quarter of them suffer fatal injuries, the center reports.
Survivors can be riddled with health problems as serious as blindness and seizures, or they may have learning disabilities that don't appear until the child enters school.
Denver's Children's Hospital reported that, on average in 2005, about one child per week was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of being shaken.
The victims:
The average age of shaken babies is 6 months.
More than 60 percent are boys.
The offenders:
50 percent are parents
17 percent are non-relatives
17 percent are mothers' boyfriends
6 percent are stepparents
Symptoms:
Lethargy/decreased muscle tone
Extreme irritability
Decreased appetite, poor feeding or vomiting for no apparent reason
No smiling or vocalization
Poor sucking or swallowing
Rigidity or posturing
Difficulty breathing
Seizures
Head or forehead appears larger than usual or soft-spot on head appears to be bulging
Inability to lift head
Inability of eyes to focus or track movement or unequal size of pupils
Grab-type bruises on arms or chest are rare
Sources: National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome and the Epilepsy Association of Central Florida
Where to go for help
Children's Hospital: Runs a shaken-baby prevention campaign, www.dontshakeababy.com
Community resources abound for parents and caretakers who feel overwhelmed, need support or just want to learn more about quality parenting.
Community Infant Program: Provides parenting therapy and works with families to promote healthy attachments between parents and infants; (303) 661-0433; www.co.boulder.co.us/health/...
Parenting Place: Provides play groups, support groups and other parenting resources, including home visits for new parents; (303) 449-0177; www.boulderparenting.org
Genesis: Supports pregnant and parenting teens; (303) 413-7529 for Boulder, (303) 678-6155 for Longmont, and (303) 413-7529 elsewhere in Boulder County; www.co.boulder.co.us/health/...
Families First: Offers a Family Support Line at (877) 695-7996, or (866) LAS-FAMILIAS in Spanish; www.familiesfirstcolorado.org
Childhelp USA: To report possible abuse, call (800) 4-A-CHILD
In case of an emergency, call 911
