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Autobiography (July 8, 1994)

MY NAME IS GINA MARIE WHITE. I WILL BE 16 YEARS OLD IN DECEMBER, 1994. I WAS BORN IN (DUVAL COUNTY) JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA (AT 8:34AM) ON THE BASE, ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1978. AT WHICH I WEIGHED 8LBS. 10OZ AND 21 3/4".

THE FOLLOWING IS AN OVERVIEW OF MY MEDICAL HISTORY AS TAKEN FROM MY OUTPATIENT RECORD CHARTS:

MY MEDICAL PROBLEMS BEGAN WHEN I WAS TWO WEEKS OLD. ON JANUARY 1, 1979, I DEVELOPED SPINAL MENINGITIS AND SECONDARY HYDROCEPHALUS, FOR WHICH WAS DIAGNOSED AND TREATED WITH A VENTRICULOPERITONEL ("VP") SHUNT. I DID WELL UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 11 MONTHS OLD WHEN I DEVELOPED FURTHER SHUNT OBSTRUCTION, MENINGITIS AND ASSOCIATED HYDROCEPHALUS. I UNDERWENT PNEUMOENCEPHALOGRAM AND METRIZAMIDE MYELOGRAM, WHICH REVEALED ARNOLD-CHIARI MALFORMATION, WITH CICTERNAL ADHESIONS AS WELL AS AQUEDUCT STENOSIS. I HAD ANOTHER SHUNT PLACED OF A SURGICAL IMPLANT Y-TYPE WITH THE ENDS OF THE SHUNT GOING TO BOTH VENTRICLES AND BASILAR CICTERNAL REGIONS. I ALSO UNDERWENT A SUBOCCIPITAL CRANIOTOMY AT THAT TIME, AND HAD LOCULATIONS AND ADHESIONS IN THE FORAMEN MAGUM REGION, OPENED UP MANUALLY.

I DID WELL EXCEPT FOR ONE OTHER EPISODE OF THE SHUNT OBSTRUCTION AND REPLACEMENT. ALTHOUGH WAS INITIALLY DIAGNOSED TO BE DEVELOPMENTALLY DELAYED, IN THE PAST YEARS I HAVE DEMONSTRATED NO EVIDENCE OF DEVELOPMENTALLY DELAY AND I AM DOING WELL ACADEMICALLY. BUT HAVE FOUND HIGH SCHOOL A LITTLE HARD TO BE AT THE TOP OF MY CLASSES. I ALSO AM VERY ADAPT WITH GROSS AND FINE MOTOR SKILLS. IN ADDITION TO ALL MY SURGERY I HAVE A COUPLE OF SCARS/MARKS ON MY BODY SUCH AS MY STOMACH, SCALP, AND INSIDE ELBOW SCARS. IM PROFOUNDLY DEAF IN MY RIGHT EAR AND HAVE A HEARING AID, AND MY RIGHT EYE IS EXOTROPIA WITH AMBLYOPIA (OUTWARD TURN, LAZY EYE), WHICH WILL BE SURGICALLY CORRECTED JULY 1994. I WILL ALWAYS WEAR EYEGLASSES.

IN JULY 1987, WHILE VISITING MY FATHER IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - I WAS TAKING A NAP AND A BABY-SITTER DESCRIBED ME AS HAVING SEIZURES. THIS WAS CHARACTERIZED BY MY AWAKENING FROM THE NAP IN A CONFUSED STATE. I HAD SPEECH ARREST AND MUTISM WITH STARING. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY LEFT EYE AND FACE TWITCHING, THEN LEFT BODY TWITCHING, CULMINATING IN LOSS OF LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES DURATION. PARAMEDICS WERE CALLED, AND IN THE INTERIM, I HAD AT LEAST THREE MORE SEIZURES OF SIMILAR CHARACTER. I WAS LOADED ON DILANTIN INTRAVENOUSLY, AND AIR EVACUATED TO CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, WHERE I INITIALLY NOTED TO HAVE A TODDS PARALYSIS. THIS RESOLVED IN 24 HOURS.

I UNDERWENT CT SCANNING WITH OR WITHOUT CONTRAST, WHICH REVEALED MY OLD SHUNT AND NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT ABNORMALITIES, EXCEPT FOR ARNOLD-CHIARI TYPE OF MALFORMATION. I WAS SENT HOME ON DILANTIN 300 MG PER DAY. OVER TEN DAYS THERE WERE NO SIGNS OD WITNESSED SEIZURES. I HAD TWO EPISODES AT NIGHT OF FECAL INCONTINENCE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH SEIZURES. SINCE THEN IVE BEEN OFF DILANTIN.

IN MARCH OF 1992 I HAD A SHUNT REVISION PERFORMED AT LEBOHNER CHILDRENS HOSPITAL IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. THEY REPLACED THE TUBING THAT CAME OUT OF THE SHUNT, I DO NOT SUFFER FROM ANY SEIZURE DISORDERS AND CURRENTLY IM NOT ON ANY MEDICATION. I SEE MY DOCTOR ANNUALLY FOR CHECK-UPS, OTHER THAN A FEW MIGRAINES IM IN GOOD HEALTH. MY NAME AND SURGERY CASE HISTORY ALSO REMAINS IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA AT SHANDS TEACHING HOSPITALS NEUROLOGICAL SURGEONS MEDICAL JOURNALS.

MY PARENTS GOT MARRIED AT AGES 18 AND 20, THEY WERE HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS. IN 1982 THEY DIVORCED WHEN I WAS THREE AND A HALF YEARS OLD. MY MOTHER, CHERYL ANN BEASLEY (WHITE-PRIEUR) GOT REMARRIED IN 1983. SHE HAS WORKED AT LEADER FEDERAL BANK SINCE JUNE 1981, AND IS AN EXECUTIVE SECRETARY TO THE BANK SINCE JUNE 1981, AND IS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY TO THE BANKS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND IN - HOUSE COUNSEL. IN HER SPARE TIME SHE ENJOYS PLANTING FLOWERS AND PLANTS IN OUR YARD. MY FATHER, JON ANDREW WHITE GOT REMARRIED IN 1985, WITH THAT MARRIAGE I HAVE A STEP-SISTER, MICHELLE; WHO IS ONE YEAR YOUNGER THAN ME AND ALSO STARTING THE EIGHTH GRADE, THEN A FOUR YEAR OLD BROTHER, RICKY. BOTH LIVE WITH MY FATHER, WHO LIVES IN SLIDELL, LOUISIANA. MY FATHER HAS BEEN IN THE NAVY FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS AND ALSO TRAVELS/LIVES IN MANY STATES. MY FAMILY HAS LIVED IN MEMPHIS FOR THIRTEEN YEARS, IM ALSO THE FIRST GRANDCHILD BORN ON MY MOTHERS SIDE.

MY EYE AND HEARING PROBLEMS I THINK KEPT ME FROM BEING ABLE TO LEARN MY SUBJECTS IN MY CLASSES. IVE BEEN TO TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, ALTURIA AND OAK ELEMENTARY. IVE GOTTEN MANY AWARDS FOR MY HANDWRITING AND I GET ES IN CONDUCT, PLUS I GET GOOD GRADES. I WAS IN THE DRAMA CLUB FOR TWO MONTHS IN SEVENTH GRADE, AND IM ALSO IN CHORUS II.

I DONT HAVE MUCH FRIENDS, BUT I DO HAVE IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN MY LIFE WHO ARE MY PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, MY SIBLINGS AND SOME VERY SPECIAL TEACHERS IN MY PAST SCHOOL YEARS, WHO I LOVE VERY MUCH AND DEDICATE EVERYTHING TO THEM. IN MY SPARE TIME, I LIKE DRAWING AND WRITING POEMS AND DOING CROSSWORD PUZZLES. OTHER HOBBIES INCLUDE: TAKING CARE OF MY PETS I HAVE AT HOME, WHICH INCLUDE TWO DOGS, FOUR CATS, ASSORTED TROPICAL FISHES AND A GOLDFISH. I ALSO ENJOY BIRD-WATCHING AND LOOKING THROUGH MY TELESCOPE AT THE STARS IN THE SKY AT NIGHT.

MY PLANS FOR FUTURE WISE IS PLAN TO GO TO COLLEGE AND GET MY DEGREE, BUT I STILL HAVENT MADE UP MY MIND ON WHAT I WANT TO DO. WHEN I GET OUT OF COLLEGE, I MIGHT FIND AN APARTMENT AND GET A PART-TIME JOB, THEN I PLAN TO GET MARRIED WHEN I FIND THE RIGHT MAN IN MY LIFE. I MIGHT HAVE AT LEAST ONE CHILD. MY STEP-SISTER WANTS US TO LIVE TOGETHER ONCE OUT ON OUR OWN, OR AT LEAST BE ROOM-MATES SOMEWHERE. FOR JOB WISH, I PLAN ON HELPING PEOPLE IN NURSING HOMES OR HOSPITALS.

* some events and my plans have changed since I last wrote this in 1994.

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