Rotary Group Supports Efforts To Stop Shaken Baby Syndrome

Do you have a heart for children?

Local residents and businesses are invited to support child abuse prevention efforts undertaken by the Rotary Club of Davis. The club’s 18th annual Big Night fundraiser — a black-tie-optional dinner, raffle and live auction — takes place Saturday, Jan. 27, at the University Retirement Community, 1515 Shasta Drive in Davis.

Tickets are $150 per person; RSVP by Jan. 12 to RotaryBigNight@gmail.com. Rotarians also are soliciting raffle or live auction items, or financial sponsorships.

Funds raised at Big Night go to local nonprofit organizations that are engaged in primary child abuse prevention. About $30,000 is available each year for donations. Since its inception in 1999, the event has raised nearly $430,000.

Through the efforts of Rotarians Bud and Judy Wolf, public awareness and education about child abuse prevention has extended well beyond the borders of Davis and Yolo County. A key piece of the program is education about abusive head trauma, better known as shaken baby syndrome. The program also has begun an education and awareness program on the impact of alcohol and drug use on unborn children.

The club is funding the child abuse prevention efforts of the Yolo County Children’s Alliance, Empower Yolo, the Yolo Crisis Nursery and the Yolo Multi-Disciplinary Interview Center.

Four years ago, a team of Rotarians visited Kenya, East Africa, to educate physicians, medical students and nurses on how to identify abusive head trauma in children. The team trained nearly 1,200 professionals throughout Kenya.

The Rotary Club of Davis meets weekly at 12:15 pm at the Davis Community Church Fellowship Hall, and has served the Davis community since 1926. It provides funding and public service for Davis and numerous international Rotary projects. New members are always welcome.

This article was originally published by DavisEnterprise.com.

Scott Juceam is one of the leading advocates against Shaken Baby Syndrome. Scott’s life changed when his daughter Hannah was shaken to death by her nanny in 2006. Since then, Scott has dedicated his life to preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome and child abuse.

To learn more about me, please visit my website at www.ScottJuceam.com or you can click here.

Father Ordered To Stand Trial In Son’s SBS Death

A man charged in the death of his infant son will face trial in the shaken baby syndrome case.

District Judge Marcena Hendrix on Friday ordered Missael Valadez, 18, to trial in the 3-month-old’s death in late August. A trial date will be set later.

Valadez has been charged with child abuse resulting in death.

William Seaton, an Omaha police officer with the department’s special victims unit, testified Friday that the boy, Sebastian Valadez, suffered “massive’’ injuries.

He said that Missael Valadez’s girlfriend left him in charge of Sebastian while she attended school and work Aug. 25.

About 5½ hours into his time watching the baby, Seaton said, Valadez called his girlfriend, saying Sebastian was unresponsive. She then called 911.

Later, Seaton was told by doctors at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center that the boy was suffering from shaken baby syndrome, the officer said. He was also told that the baby suffered severe brain trauma and dual detached retinas.

Seaton said Valadez told him that Sebastian would not quit crying, so Valadez said he yelled at the boy and shook him “rather hard,’’ forward and backward. Seaton said Valadez demonstrated on a doll how he shook the boy.

“At one point,’’ the officer said, “Valadez said he shook the child as hard as he could’’ for about 90 seconds, and the crying ended.

Sebastian was declared brain-dead that day at the hospital, Seaton said, and he was taken off life-support two or three days later.

Two weeks before the incident, Seaton said, the baby rolled off a bed and was taken to a hospital. It was determined that the infant was not injured.

The officer also said he listened to jail calls from Valadez to his girlfriend.

In one call, Seaton said, “She asked him ‘Why did you do it? How many times have I told you not to do that?’” Seaton said.

“Valadez told her, ‘I get frustrated sometimes. I didn’t know I would hurt him,’” the officer said.

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Shaken baby syndrome — also known as abusive head trauma, shaken impact syndrome, inflicted head injury or whiplash shake syndrome — is a serious brain injury resulting from forcefully shaking an infant or toddler.

Shaken baby syndrome destroys a child’s brain cells and prevents his or her brain from getting enough oxygen. Shaken baby syndrome is a form of child abuse that can result in permanent brain damage or death.

Babies have weak neck muscles and often struggle to support their heavy heads. If a baby is forcefully shaken, his or her fragile brain moves back and forth inside the skull. This causes bruising, swelling and bleeding.

Shaken baby syndrome usually occurs when a parent or caregiver severely shakes a baby or toddler due to frustration or anger — often because the child won’t stop crying.

Shaken baby syndrome isn’t usually caused by bouncing a child on your knee, minor falls or even rough play.

Even brief shaking of an infant can cause irreversible brain damage. Many children affected by shaken baby syndrome die.

Survivors of shaken baby syndrome may require lifelong medical care for conditions such as:

• Partial or total blindness
• Developmental delays, learning problems or behavior issues
• Intellectual disability
• Seizure disorders
• Cerebral palsy

Scott Juceam is one of the leading advocates against Shaken Baby Syndrome. Scott’s life changed when his daughter Hannah was shaken to death by her nanny in 2006. Since then, Scott has dedicated his life to preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome and child abuse.

To learn more about me, please visit my website at www.ScottJuceam.com or you can click here.

Man Charged With Murder For ‘Shaking His Three-Month-Old Son To Death’ –Gets BAIL

A Melbourne man accused of killing his three-month-old son by shaking him will stand trial after being granted bail.

Scott Hammond, 27, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and child homicide following a committal hearing at Geelong Magistrates Court.

According to KevinMd.com, “Shaken baby syndrome was first described in the 1960s to describe the combination of several injuries: subdural hematoma (bleeding around the brain), retinal hemorrhages (bleeding at the back of the eye), and brain swelling. Rib fractures are also common because the person doing the shaking typically squeezes the child’s chest hard enough to crack ribs. How do these injuries happen with shaking? The fundamental cause is that a small baby has a relatively large head compared to the rest of his body and is unable to hold his head firmly in place because the muscles aren’t strong enough yet to do that. So shaking snaps the head back and forth, generating very large forces inside the skull as the brain bangs back and forth. This can lead to rupture of some of the small veins that surround the brain, as well as tiny vessels in the back of the eye. The brain then often swells afterward, as any tissue does when injured. If death or severe injury follows, it is generally because of the brain swelling. If ribs are broken from squeezing the chest, the fractures happen at the back of the bones where the ribs come off the spinal column. It is often illustrated in this way.”

The Colac man was charged in February after baby Braxton Hammond was found unresponsive in October 2011 and later died in hospital.

The infant reportedly suffered a head injury, as well as rib and leg fractures, with the injuries alleged to have been the result of severe shaking.

During the hearing, an expert from the United States National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome said the child’s injuries did not appear to be accidental, the ABC reports.

‘It appears there’s evidence of impact, but the injuries are most consistent with some type of violent shaking,’ Professor John Alexander said.

‘Pre-mobile children don’t get injuries like these without the absence of adult involvement.’

Earlier this year, a court heard that police initially suspected Hammond, as well as Braxton’s mother Nikita Cook, after they began investigating in 2011.

But detectives from the Homicide Squad were able to rule out Ms. Cook as a person of interest because of the timing of the injuries the child sustained. 

Previously, the court also reportedly heard Hammond had not wanted children and had been violent while Ms. Cook was pregnant.

Hammond was granted bail and will appear again on December 11 in The Supreme Court.

Scott Juceam is one of the leading advocates against Shaken Baby Syndrome. Scott’s life changed when his daughter Hannah was shaken to death by her nanny in 2006. Since then, Scott has dedicated his life to preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome and child abuse.

To learn more about me, please visit my website at www.ScottJuceam.com or you can click here.