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Preston Turpin and his brother Jordan are avid bow hunters. Jordan has supported his brother as Preston battles Chiari, a rare skull and brain condition that causes great pain and is difficult to diagnose.
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Chickasha resident battles unusual condition
By JARED MINSON
Staff Writer
For several years, 18 year-old Preston Turpin, of Chickasha, has been struggling with Chiari Type I Malformation.
Most of his struggle, he said, isn't just from the pain, but from being misdiagnosed, mistreated and given the runaround from the school.
In laymen’s terms, when someone has Chiari, his skull is too small for his brain, causing pressure at the back of the brain. The brain is supposed to rest inside of the skull. The cerebellar tonsils extend down to the base of the skull, thus cramping the brain stem.
Chiari is present in about one in every thousand births.
It can cause symptoms ranging from headache, neck pain, difficulty swallowing, scoliosis, weakness in hands and arms, difficulty waking, eye movement abnormalities, speech difficulties and breathing abnormalities, among others.
In an effort to help spread awareness, Preston and his family participated in the Jaden's Stand Against Chiari awareness walk in Shawnee on Saturday.
Governor Brad Henry named November 2009 Chiari Awareness Month for Oklahoma.
Turpin said he first knew something was wrong when he was 15 years old and he couldn't sit or focus on his schoolwork, and his neck was beginning to hurt badly.
"I couldn't focus. My legs and arms would go numb. I started getting electric shocks through my body because my nerves were getting pinched," Turpin said. "It was unbearable; I couldn't do anything."
After several months, Preston was missing so much school that he was sent to Chickasha Quality Academy.
Patti Hawthorne, Turpin's mother, said during this time, she took him to a local pediatrician who told her Preston was just experiencing "growing pains.” Then she took him to a chiropractor who gave him laser treatments for three sessions a week for three months, followed by a sports doctor who prescribed medicine.
It was December, 2007, during Christmas break, that Hawthorne said she realized the gravity of the situation.
She said Preston's friends were having a Christmas party at the skating rink and he didn't want to go because he was in too much pain.
"When you're a mom of four boys and it's Christmas break and there's a party and your kid's saying he doesn't feel good, something's wrong," Hawthorne said.
Hawthorne said she went on-line, and at the beginning of January, 2008 she drove him to a bone and joint specialist in Oklahoma City. They gave him an MRI, which led to the diagnosis of Chiari I Malformation.
First Brain Surgery
Preston had his first brain surgery Feb. 19, 2008, and after a few weeks, not only was he not feeling better, but he was also showing changes in behavior and personality, Hawthorne said. He also was showing signs of memory loss.
"I would bring stuff up all the time about things we used to do, that I know he should remember," said Jordan Turpin, Preston's brother. "But he wouldn't have any clue what I was talking about."
Hawthorne said she called the surgeon who operated on Preston and told her that Preston was angry all the time and didn't even seem like the same person anymore. The surgeon then told Hawthorne that this personality shift was due to all of the painkillers he was having to take, and that she shouldn't worry.
"I told everyone I wasn't fixed and I didn't feel better at all," Turpin said. "And by this time I was already addicted to my medicine, so everyone was thinking I was just trying to go back to the doctor to get more and more, when I was actually hurting 100 times worse than before."
Hawthorne said even she was believing the doctor over her son.
Turpin said he didn't want to live anymore because nobody believed him and all the pain he was going through.
"We had to send him to the emergency room for evaluation,” Hawthorne said. “He would walk for hours in the rain. He was frustrated."
She decided to get another MRI, just in case doctors had missed something. She started researching on-line and found a Chiari specialist in Aurora, Colo. His name was Dr. John Oro.
Hawthorne sent the MRI to the doctor who performed Turpin's first surgery and to Dr. Oro. The first doctor replied saying she saw nothing wrong and everything seemed to have healed properly. Dr. Oro, on the other hand, said that Turpin needed not only another Chiari surgery, but he needed neck surgery to correct mistakes from his first surgery.
Since the initial consultation, Hawthorne said they've flown to see the specialist about eight times for CAT scans, MRIs, follow-ups, and pre-surgery visits.
In April of this year, Preston went under the knife for the second time, but this time with Dr. Oro.
Preston said the surgery was a success, but the process isn’t finished yet. He still has neck pain, he has scoliosis, and his doctor told him he will most likely need another surgery in the next five years.
His biggest frustration, Preston said, isn't finding a way to manage the pain, but it's the frustration of not getting to graduate with his brother, Jordan, his biggest ally through this entire process.
Jordan and Preston are only 11 months apart in age and were supposed to graduate together.
Due to his medical absences, Hawthorne said, the Chickasha Quality Academy suggested Preston attempt to get his GED instead of a high school diploma.
"Everyone was passing him down and all he wanted was to walk across that stage with his brother," Hawthorne said.
During the first surgery, there were more than 30 people in the waiting room, and many others calling to check up on him, Hawthorne said. Now, however, there are no calls, no knocks on the door; he's lost all his friends.
"People in Chickasha aren't aware of what Preston has. People think he's quit school and is dealing drugs," Hawthorne said.
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The show will feature the work of USAO graduate Helen Shafer. The exhibition will be open daily during normal business hours in the Davis Hall Third Floor Art Gallery on the USAO campus. The show is free and open to the public. An opening reception is scheduled Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. in the gallery. -
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A high-speed motorcycle chase down Highway 81 last Wednesday landed a Ninnekah man in jail and a felony charge of eluding a police officer.
Court records show that James William Hutchins, 21, blew by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Timothy Parrish at U.S. Highway 81 and County Road 1460 and was clocked going 144 miles per hour in a posted 70 miles per hour zone.
Parrish reported that he was sitting stationary at that location at about 3:45 p.m. on Aug. 25 when he observed a red motorcycle traveling southbound. He engaged his emergency lights and siren and pulled onto the roadway behind the Triumph motorcycle. -
5 inmates denied parole
Parole was recently denied for five Grady County inmates serving sentences with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
The following individuals were denied at the August Pardon and Parole Board meeting:
• Jeremiah Daniel Cline, who is serving a five-year sentence for distribution of a controlled dangerous substance and a five-year sentence for possession of a controlled dangerous substance, began his sentence in August 2008.
• Warren P. Diego, who is serving a 15-year sentence (10 years PTS) for lewd molestation, began his sentence in February 2009. -
Judge recuses herself from pharmacy case
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Sooners' announcer to retire
NORMAN (AP) — Bob Barry Sr. announced Tuesday that he plans to retire as the radio play-by-play voice of Oklahoma football and men's basketball after the upcoming season.
Barry has been the radio voice of the Sooners for the last 20 years and he also had a 12-year stint in the job at the beginning of his career. In between, he handled the play-by-play for Tulsa basketball games and then for Oklahoma State football and basketball. -
NEWS BRIEFS
City offices close Monday
The City of Chickasha's offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 6 in observance of Labor Day. Regular city services will resume on Tuesday.
Waste Connections announced that they will be "business-as-usual" on Labor Day. Customers will receive sanitation services on the regular Monday route. -
GRADY COUNTY FAIR RESULTS
HCE Home
Management
Cross stitch or
Embroidery item
Meridian Happy Home - Mabel Pharis
Lucile-Blue Bonnet - Myrtle Elston
Rural Neighbors - Nona Sherer
Friend - Faith Andrus
Misc. needlework
Spring Creek - Deone Moskayitch
Meridian Happy Home - Mary Spurlin -
around the Areas
SEPTEMBER 2
Poetry Reading
• When: Sept. 2, 7 p.m.
• Where: Eduardo’s Mexican Restaurant, Private Room, 3127 S. 4th St., Chickasha
• Details: Featured Poet is Carol Hamilton, writer, storyteller and Poet Laureate of Oklahoma 1995-97Hamilton’s website is www.carolhamilton.org. There is no admission fee to attend the Poetry Reading, and refreshments are available for purchase. For more information, contact Rockford Johnson, 224-0160 or 317-7506.. -
NHS principal appreciates effort of law enforcement
To the Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank District Attorney Bret Burns and Chickasha Police Chief Lynn Williams for going above and beyond their job descriptions to help me with a situation that recently occurred at Ninnekah High School.
Chickasha Police Chief Lynn Williams helped in a matter that occurred in the Chickasha city limits, but affected Ninnekah School. I appreciate his assistance. The Chickasha School District is extremely lucky to have a police chief who will go the extra mile to support education and student safety. -
Lawmaker examines state questions
There are going to be 11 state questions on your ballot when you go to the voting booth this November. Last week I covered the first state question that was put on the ballot through the initiative petition process by the teachers’ labor union, therefore bypassing the state legislature, State Question 744.
All of the remaining 10 state questions were put on after being passed by the legislature, so that the people would have a voice in deciding these important issues. - More Local News Headlines
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