The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 03, 2006, Page 3, Image 3
Child gets wish to go to Disney World
Make-A-Wish Foundation offers dream to girl with Batten Disease
Crystal Boyles
THE ANDERSON INDEPENDENT MAIL
ANDERSON — Macayla
Smoak sat on the floor
in her room, picking up
plastic kitchen toys and
putting them into various
purses and bags.
It’s one of her favorite
things to do and also one
of the things her mother,,
Jennifer Smoak, says she
feels she can accomplish.
A few minutes later
she was standing, digging
through a blue bag when
she fell backward onto
her bottom. A small cry
followed while her mother
comforted her.
In the quick second
between digging through
the 'bag and falling,
Macayla, 4, had a petit mal
seizure, a brief, sudden
lapse of conscious activity
brought on by Batten
Disease.
its uke sne tails asleep
for a brief second,” father
Jeff Sinoak said.
When she “wakes up”
the food that was in her
hand is on the table, or
she was standing and now
she’s laying on her back or
side or face, often having
hit something on her way
down.
Batten Disease is an
inherited disorder of the
nervous system, occurring
mostly in children.
Early symptoms can
be a child developing
vision problems or having
seizures. In some cases
early signs are subtle,
taking the form of
personality and behavior
changes, slow learning,
clumsiness or stumbling.
Eventually the children
suffer mental impairment,
worsening seizures and loss
of sight and motor skills,
which leave a child disabled.
The life expectancy for a
child is 5-8 years.
Before her condition
worsens, Make-A-Wish
Foundation is sending
Macayla and her family to
Walt Disney World.
“She enjoys stimulation,
and she’s a visual learner,”
Jennifer Smoak said. “We
think Disney World will be
right up her alley. A lot of
stimulation. Mommy and
Daddy will be exhausted.”
Macayla began having
seizures in April. Doctors
couldn’t find a cause, and
the Smoaks decided to
move to New Orleans so
Jeff Smoak could attend
seminary at New Orleans
Baptist Seminary.
“We didn’t hesitate
going to New Orleans
much because they have a
great medical facility and a
great children’s center,” Jeff
Smoak said.
Two weeks to the day
after they moved, they left,
running from Hurricane
Katrina, They stayed in
Alabama then saw how
bad it was going to be
and headed back to South
Carolina, where they
watched everything on TV.
Soon afterward Macayla
“stopped running, stopped
using most of her sentences
that she did have, a lot
more difficulty swallowing,”
Jeff Smoak said.
An MRI in Greenville
showed her brain was
shrinking. Then came the
diagnosis.
“I can honestly say that,
you know, for both of us,
since Macayla began having
seizures in April, God was
preparing us,” Jennifer
Smoak said. “When we got
the diagnosis, it did hurt,
and we did cry, and we did
feel like going into a room
and holding each other,
pulling our family together
in a big hug. And we did
about 10 minutes of crying
in the parking lot and then
said, ‘OK, our choices are
to live life, or to not.’ She
needs us to be happy.”
Life involves being
constantly on the lookout.
Someone has to constantly
be by her side in case a
seizure or unsteady walking
sends her falling to the
floor.
“You can’t anticipate or
save her from everything,
because you can’t anticipate
when (a seizure) is going to
happen,” Jennifer Smoak
said.
Macayla has about 100
seizures a day, most not
noticeable to even her
parents, who are constantly
at her side.
Because her limited
speech has degenerated,
understanding Maeayla
can be difficult. Often
times it takes her 2-year
old brother, Jacob, to
translate.
It’s hard for the Smoaks
to tell from day-to-day
what trick is going to work
to get Maeayla to take her
medicine or eat.
“It’s exhausting because
you don’t know how to
help her from day to day,”
Jennifer Smoak said.
What she does love is
movies and cheese.
“Pretty much all she
asks for is cheese. Cheese,
cheese, cheese, cheese,
cheese,” her mother said.
The Smoaks joked they
could have asked Make-A
Wish for a year’s supply
of cheese, but decided the
experience at Disney World
would be better for her.
cup • conunuEDFRomi
attend in their most
elaborate clothing to devour
high-end food at high-class
tailgates.
Students tailgated at
College Park, while families
and businesses socialized
among themselves at
Corporate Terrace.
One of the many “Carolina
Cuppers,” Christine
Tometich, a second-year
sports and entertainment
management student, had a
good time.
it was definitely a nuge
social event to say the least.
Between the horses, the
seersucker pants and sun
hats, I had an amazing time.
I will be back next year for
sure.”
Many of the tailgates
throughout College Park had
a variety of entertainment.
Students were found dancing
to live bands, participating
in the shag or the jitterbug;
or even hanging out and
catching some rays atop a
U-Haul truck.
Some sororities and
fraternities brought their
couches and grills to the
festivities so they could feast
on hamburgers and hot dogs.
Other tailgates included
Chick-fil-A platters and fruit
and veggie trays, while some
preferred chocolate fondue
and shrimp cocktails.
Some students have been
attending the Carolina Cup
before they could walk.
Ashley Hart, a fourth-year
public relations student,
said her favorite memory
was walking around to the
different tailgate tents and
socializing with everyone.
“I have'been going to the
-Carolina Cup ever since I
was 3,” Hart said. “Even
though I don’t remember
most of the memories, as
I become older and more
polished, I love seeing
everyone’s new dresses and
accessories. Each year, the
dresses get more and more
embellished.”
When the guns went
off to begin the races, fans
huddled around the fences
to obtain a glimpse of their,
favorite horse. The crowds
cheered as the stampeding
horses galloped down victory
lane, cantering over hurdles
as the ground shook.
Robert Barnes, a third
year education student at
The Citadel, said he came
to see the horses.
“The most exciting part of
the Carolina Cup is actually
watching the horses race,”
Barnes said. “Although I do
think most of the tailgaters
here are more pumped up
about socializing than the
actual races, I still find the
races to be the part of the
Carolina Cup that keeps it
being such a great tradition
here in South Carolina.”
Janelle Schilter, a second
year exercise science student,
said the weather made the
event enjoyable.
“The weather is what
made the day,” Schilter said.
“There was a slight breeze,
but the sun was beating
down and it felt like the
middle of June.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm. sc. edu
Asbleigh Ortfim / THE GAMECOCK
Girls show up to the annual Carolina Cup in huge sun
hats Saturday. About 70,000 people attended the event.
i-comm • connnucDFRomi
political activity, and the
presentation of the Cocky
Award.
Professor Bonnie
Drewniany will be
presenting the Cocky Award
in conjunction with her class
on Super Bowl commercials.
The class, offered only in
the spring semester, tracks
trends in advertising for the
Super Bowl. Students are
required to attend a Super
Bowl party at Newsplex
where they vote for the best
commercial based on brand
recognition, likeability and
persuasiveness.
Steve Bougdanos and
Patrick Knoll, creative
directors at DDB Chicago,
created this year’s winner,
Bud Light’s “Secret
Fridge.”
Drewi>iany said the Cocky
Award has always been part
of I-Comm Week.
“Three years ago we
established (the Cocky
Award) in conjunction with
the Super Bowl class and
thought what a wonderful
way to continue the class,”
Drewniany said. “It seemed
like a perfect complement
to what we’ve been doing in
class.”
Drewniany also said it
is exciting to see returning
students.
“We have a number of
alums that will be returning^
for the event,” Drewniany
said. “That’s always exciting
to see people who were
in your class three or four
years ago and suddenly
so successful that you’re
inviting them to speak.”
The CMCIS Alumni
Society Panel Forum will
be meeting with students
Friday at 10 a.m. to discuss
the importance of staying
in touch with the university
after graduation. Interested
students should register at
the CMCIS Web site.
Horne said the planning
committee for the next
I-Comm Week will be
meeting soon to discuss next
year’s event.
“We’ll probably start next
week to plan for next year,”
Horne said.
For full schedule
events, visit http://www.
dailygamecock.com.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gum.sc. edu
HEALTH CE(1TER • COTITITIUED PROfTl I
around campus and really
figure out what students
need from a health center,”
Beck said. “There should be
no barriers for health.”
The only barrier that will
be created is that in the new
building, the doctors’ offices
won’t be the same rooms as
the exam rooms.
In addition to hiring new
staff, the technology and
electronics usgd to assist
the health center will be
brand new, “state-of-the-art
labs and technology, so we
will be able to do anything,”
Beck said.
An electronic health
record is also going to
become a significant
part of the health center,
Beck said. This will help
keep all student records
electronically and eventually
would incorporate an
electronic check-in system
and online appointments as
well.
“Students would be able
to walk up to a kiosk and
check in on a computer
that has already stored all
their medical information,
instead of the hassle of
waiting in line and filling
out paperwork,” Beck said.
But because the new
health center will not be
constructed until fall 2009,
Beck said the current
building will be renovated.
“We’re giving the
Thompson Student Health
Center what we call a
facelift.” Beck said. “We
are going to renovate this
building as much as possible
to make it as comfortable
as possible during the next
couple of years.”
Efforts including new
floors, a fresh coat of
paint and general action to
improve the aesthetic appeal
of the building will begin
this summer.
By next fall, officials might
be able to keep electronic
health records in Thompson
Student Health Center, set
up an online self-care guide
and make it possible to
make appointments online,
Beck said.
“We are totally student
focused with the highest
quality care in mind,” Beck
said. “My door is always
open to students as it would
be to anyone else.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu
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