by Laurie Esposito Harley

“I had just read about a boy who died from a head injury, after appearing okay,” said James Harley. So when his daughter, Annie, complained of having “the worst headache ever,” he was concerned.

“She had been playing on the porch with her sister and her friends, just like always,” Annie’s mother, Laurie, explained. “My husband questioned the other girls, because he thought maybe she had hit her head.”

The girls admitted to tapping each other with an empty plastic container, but that certainly couldn’t have caused the pain that made 8-year-old Annie scream and writhe on the couch.

James took Annie to the Girard Fire Department only a block from their Girard, Ohio home, where a medic spotted an indentation in the back of the child’s head. He suspected trauma. An ambulance raced father and daughter to St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Youngstown.

While there were no outward signs of trauma, a CT scan showed a large blood clot in Annie’s brain that stretched from the surface down to the fluid-filled ventricles. The doctors knew they needed to relieve the pressure building in her skull, and they needed to do it fast.

Annie was life-flighted to the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh late Friday night and by 2:00 PM on Saturday, she was undergoing brain surgery to remove the clot.

The doctors suspect that the bleeding was caused by an AVM (arteriovenous malformation). An AVM is when an artery and a vein connect without the capillaries that normally attach the two. This often results in a burst vessel, causing bleeding, and resulting in a headache or seizure.

“The out-pouring of support for Annie has been tremendous,” says Laurie. She created a group on Facebook to handle all the inquiries. Even though Laurie was posting updates on Annie’s condition, her family and friends were reposting the information. “The group provided a means to send just one update and reach anyone who wanted to know more about how Annie was doing.” But no one expected that the group would grow so fast in so little time. In just a few days, there were over 100 members, and almost as many invitations sent to other members. Annie’s support group (http://groups.to/supportannie) has supporters from all across the United States and even in Germany and Chile.

Additionally, Annie is receiving financial support from various venues. Kathys-Cards.com, a Dayton-based company, is selling a card that depicts one of Annie’s drawings on it, and all proceeds benefit the family. Ten percent of proceeds for all other cards will be donated to the Harleys as well. Matt Donahoo, Dayon singer/songwriter, took donations and sold the special Annie's artwork card at his local performance on Saturday, June 20th at the BRDhouse Music and Arts Co. in Englewood, Ohio.

Annie is doing much better after having spent 13 days in the hospital. She is now walking with help and her headaches have all but disappeared. She still has some vision issues and her cognitive skills will be tested during rehabilitation in the up-coming weeks. Annie’s most pressing concern is the loss of her curly hair. Both Mom and Dad have shaved their heads in support of their daughter.

The Harleys appreciate all of the prayers and support. “This has been a very draining experience, mentally, physically, and financially,” says Laurie. Their families have helped them with some of the costs, and both family and friends have helped look after their other two children, Allison, age 5, and Tyler, age 1. “We could not have managed without the help and support of so many people. Annie is blessed to have so many supporters.”

The Harleys: Mom, Allie, Annie, Dad, & T