Michael and Ryan McLaughlin reside in Oklahoma City with their two children, 2 ½ year old Conner and eight month old Elizabeth Kathleen (‘Ellie Kate’).  Michael, the son of Stan and Jayme McLaughlin, grew up in Midwest City, along with his sister Jennifer and brother Drew.  Ryan, the daughter of Rev. Stuart and Debi Tully, grew up in Oklahoma City with her brother Tyler and sister Rachael.  Both Ryan and Michael received undergraduate degrees from the University of Central Oklahoma and have been married for four years.  Michael graduated from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2004, and currently works for Scoggins and Cross, located in downtown Oklahoma City.  Most recently, Ryan worked as Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Oklahoma City University.  Since the birth of Ellie Kate, Ryan stays at home with their two children.

The world was turned upside-down for these people December 4, 2005, the day their daughter, Ellie Kate was born.  By the looks of things, she was a healthy baby.  But, that would soon be proven wrong.  From birth Ellie Kate had trouble opening her eyes, staying awake, eating, and she had a weak cry.  Doctors and nurses thought she was a laid-back baby and was possibly suffering from mild jaundice.  During her first week of life, Ryan had her seen by a doctor or nurse every day – she knew something was just not right.  But, Ellie Kate’s standard blood work seemed fine, and the doctors and nurses were not alarmed.  By the fourth day of life, Ellie Kate was not eating and would not wake up.  That day, December 8th, Michael and Ryan took her to Baptist hospital where doctors prepared to give her an IV and treat her for jaundice.  Within ten minutes of being at Baptist, Ellie Kate stopped breathing and her temperature went down to 92 degrees.  The family knew something was desperately wrong, and doctors immediately rushed Ellie Kate to the PICU and put her on life support.  Ryan and Michael were told their daughter would probably not live through the night.

Literally hundreds of tests were run those first several weeks in the hospital.  Many things were ruled out and the doctors came to one conclusion – they were dealing with a metabolic/genetic disorder.  Ellie Kate lay in a comatose state and continued to be on life support.  By December 29th, Doctors at Baptist Hospital decided they had done all that they could do.  They were stumped and suggested that Ellie Kate be transferred to a hospital which specialized in metabolic/genetic disorders.  Through God’s Providence, Michael and Ryan chose to be sent to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas.

On December 30th, Ryan and Ellie Kate were medi-flighted to Houston.  The family was separated not only by illness, but by distance as well.  Thanks to generous family and friends, Michael and Conner were able to fly in on weekends and see Ryan and Ellie Kate.  Doctors worked vigorously to find the cause of Ellie Kate’s problems.  It was in Houston that Ellie Kate woke from her coma.  She also pulled out her ventilation tube, and virtually took herself off life support.  Ryan was able to see Ellie Kate’s eyes and hear her cry for the first time since birth.

By the end of the second week, and after several MRI’s, MRS’s, spinal taps, EKG’s, EEG’s and many other blood tests, doctors had made a diagnosis – Ellie Kate had a rare genetic disorder called Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH).  Ellie Kate continued to get better there in Houston, and was sent home shortly after her diagnosis.

Since being in Houston, Ellie Kate has been hospitalized several more times in Oklahoma City.  In January, she spent two weeks in the hospital (one of those on life support), treating RSV.  After being home for a month and a half, Ellie was sent to Baptist Hospital for stomach problems. She had become unable to tolerate any food. She and Ryan stayed in Baptist for two and a half weeks and then were transferred to Children’s Hospital.  After two and a half weeks of tests, doctors at Children’s decided to do exploratory surgery on Ellie Kate’s intestines.  They found a problem and were able to correct it, allowing Ellie to once again eat and receive nourishment by mouth.  Once Ellie proved that she could in fact eat by mouth, she was released from the hospital and sent home on hospice care. This two month stint in the hospital was extremely stressful on the family, who once again was separated.  Conner lived with his grandparents while Ryan and Mike lived at the hospital with Ellie Kate. 

Now, weeks are pretty busy for the McLaughlin’s.  Almost every week Ellie Kate goes in to Children’s Hospital for blood work.  She also sees her Hospice Nurse once a week and Sooner Start therapy every other week.  Other days are filled with Neurology appointments, cardiology appointments, and general pediatric health appointments.  Though it is busy, one thing is for sure – Michael and Ryan are thrilled that their daughter is at home with her family.  Ellie Kate is beating the odds and doing better than doctors expected. 

Ellie Kate has a long road ahead of her, but she is a fighter! She suffers from seizures, myclonic jerks, and irregular heartbeat, among other things.  She also is behind developmentally, although it is yet to be known what extent of brain damage she has.

With a strong faith in Jesus Christ and with the support of amazing family and friends, the McLaughlin’s are making it through the NKH journey.  Seeing Ellie Kate’s beautiful smile is a loving testimony to us all of God’s faithfulness and the importance of family and friends.