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Antavius Rush Benefit Fund:



We invite you to join Central Lutheran and Kids' Central Preschool for a dinner and auction to benefit Antavius on Friday, June 3, 2011. The baked potato and salad dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. (a freewill offering will be received at the door) followed by a live and silent auction at 7:00 p.m. Come join us for a delicious meal, warm fellowship and a night of fun as we welcome home our little friend!

Contributions can be made directly @ any branch of People's Bank to the Antavius Rush Benefit Fund; checks can also be mailed to Central, Auction items can be dropped off at Central's office.

On May 11th, 2011, Antavius Rush, a 4-year-old member of Central Lutheran, was airlifted to Seattle Children's Hospital after a brief stay at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham. Antavius' immune system was seemingly going haywire and the staff at St. Joseph could see that he needed immediate specialized care as his condition was quickly becoming life-threatening, with the ultimate cause still unknown. After 4 days in the PICU with an amazing team of specialists from Children's, Antavius was strong enough to be taken off the respirator after 72 hours, and was out of the ICU after another 24 hours. The specialists determined that the most likely cause of Antavius' state was the onset of a rare type of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), called systemic (referring to his whole system), and an episode of Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS). The various forms of JIA affect 80 to 90 of 100,000 children; only about 10% of those have the systemic variety. Macrophage activation syndrome is a rare and potentially fatal disorder, which basically means that the part of his immune system that controls inflammation looses its ability to determine good cells from bad cells, and therefore begins to eat all cells. The cells are unable to hold water, swelling occurs both in the organs and around the organs, putting pressure and strain on the heart, lungs and other vital organs. Antavius spent 2 weeks at Seattle Children's undergoing several tests, scans, numerous blood draws and very aggressive treatments to stop the MAS episode in attempts to keep as little damage from occurring to his system as possible. He is facing a long road of treatments and recovery over the next few months with a series of medications, including daily shots, visits to the pediatric rheumatologists and physical therapists at Seattle Children's. With the help of his family and friends, he will also continue to learn to trust in Jesus while learning to live with sJIA. The prognosis (longterm outcome) of this type of disease varies greatly from patient to patient, but he seems to be responding well to the early stages of treatment.

Antavius is home now with his mom, dad, 3-year-old brother, and is looking forward to the arrival of his baby sister in a few weeks. He is busy rebuilding his strength, balance, appetite and stamina. For Antavius' family, friends at Central Lutheran and classmates at Kids' Central Preschool, our challenge is in keeping the faith and praying that God will provide.

    


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