The Price of a Miracle : Child Defied Death but Therapy’s Cost Is Daunting

Four months ago, a reunion of the Pesicka family turned into a parent’s nightmare when 14-month-old Justine slipped through an open sliding glass door, hoisted herself up a four-foot ladder and plunged into a swimming pool.

When her mother found her floating in the middle of the pool five minutes later, Justine had stopped breathing. Doctors gave her a 90% chance of dying that night.

Justine did not die. Miraculously, after six weeks in the hospital--including seven days on life-support systems--she came home.

But today, the once-spunky overachiever--who once had a vocabulary of 20 words--has just one form of expression: a slow moan. She cannot chew, walk, crawl or even sit up without support. She is not the same child, the parents said, but she has a chance to be if she can continue physical therapy.

That therapy at a private clinic in Fountain Valley is now in danger because of mounting medical bills.

On a recent afternoon, the blond, curly-haired toddler squirmed uncomfortably on her father’s lap, staring blankly around her as her parents discussed the Aug. 8 accident and how their lives have changed since then.

The day it happened, the Pesicka family had gathered at the Cypress home of Justine’s grandparents for a reunion. Relatives and friends had flown in from Colorado.

As the adults talked and nine children played in the living room, Justine disappeared. When her mother noticed that she was gone, the group frantically searched until they found her floating in the above-ground pool.

Brad Greenwood, the child’s grandfather, administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation while relatives alerted paramedics. Justine was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

Jodi Pesicka, 24, the girl’s mother, spoke about the jealously that 4-year-old Jessica felt when her little sister was brought home and began therapy.

In the end, she said, the tragedy “brought us together, but the pressure after a while gets to you.”

“She’s a completely different person now,” Justine’s father, Randy Pesicka, 34, said from their Stanton apartment. “Before, she was doing stuff that people twice her age were doing, and now she’s immobile.”

Doctors and other experts said such a regression is common among victims of near-drownings, who often suffer severe brain damage.

“Justine is actually back down to the level of a 3- to 5-month-old,” said Sharon Grady, a registered physical therapist who has been treating the child. “Not only is she back at the infant stage, but she has a lot of abnormal tone and movement caused by the brain damage.”

Justine’s only chance at even a partial recovery is to continue the rehabilitation three times a week to prevent atrophy of her growing muscles. But on Dec. 21, the medical insurance that pays for the costly sessions will run out.

Justine’s parents, desperate for a way to continue their daughter’s care, are organizing a New Year’s Eve fund-raiser aboard a 300-passenger cruise ship.

“We’re trying to get $8,000 to pay for a year of therapy,” Jodi Pesicka said. “We’re also trying to set up a nonprofit foundation, but that takes about six months.”

The Pesickas said they have comprehensive medical coverage up to $2 million through Randy Pesicka’s job as an electrician. But that policy will pay only up to $1,000 per year for physical therapy--far less than the $10,000 that Justine’s sessions will cost in 1991, at $65 per visit.

Their dilemma is an all-too-common one for parents of near-drowners who, while struggling to deal with their personal tragedy, must also face staggering medical costs.

In Orange County, an average of 90 children are hospitalized annually from near-drownings, according to county statistics. At least 12 children have drowned in pools or spas this year.

“The problem is that the accident is looked at as being non-rehabilitative, because the brain cells are destroyed,” said Mary Ann Sager, a member of Parents of Near Drowners, a counseling group.

“But what the insurance companies fail to realize is that the only thing that can help these children is physical therapy,” she said. “It’s a disaster to see what happens to these children without it. Their bodies begin to distort, and their bones become fragile without the constant stimulation.”

Even with therapy, doctors say, Justine’s chances of leading a normal life are slim. But the Pesickas remember that the doctors were wrong once before and are optimistic.

“She still has a personality, and she’s still stubborn,” Jodi Pesicka said. “We’re hoping that the same spontaneity and energy that got her into trouble will hopefully help to get her out of it.”

Tickets for the benefit cruise aboard the Catalina Flyer are $75 per person and $130 per couple. For information, contact the Pesickas at (714) 527-3259.