Franklin Hucka overcomes tragedy, adversity
Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two-part series. Part one of this feature story was re- ported in the Sept. 18 edition of The Graphic-Advocate.
Franklin was a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome, as he was shaken by the hands of his fa- ther when he was very young. This two-part series is not cen- tered on Franklin’s tragedy, but about his will to survive, his pure smile, the joy and the love he gives to everyone who sur- rounds him.
The road didn’t end with Franklin coming home with Lore to Lake City. Instead, it was the beginning of a tough stretch for Franklin, who fought through seizures, sickness, surgeries and adversity.
Life was hard for Lore for quite some time. Through it all, Lore sung “You Are My Sunshine.” Each time, Franklin made strides towards where he is today.
“He was hard, he was really hard,” Lore said. “He had a lot of things going on. He had sei–zure after seizure, and he had swelling in his brain. He re–gained his hearing, so since the very first night, I began singing ‘You Are My Sunshine’ to him, and I do it everyday since then.”
Along with singing to him, Lore also recites nursery rhymes on a daily basis.
“I tell Franklin the same stories, and he knows those sto–ries,” said Lore. “You can definitely tell. He loves them.”
As Franklin fought through these troubles, Lore began the adoption process.
“Both parents signed their rights over, which made things really easy, because they could have fought,” Lore added. “But they didn’t. I talked with my sister, I told her that I will always take care of him, and that you will never have to worry about him.”
After obtaining the rights to become Franklin’s legal guard–ians, Lore filed the mountain of paperwork that adoption en–tailed. Lore had fostered Frank–lin, along with her other chil–dren, for more than six months.
Before the formal adoption day, Franklin was struck with a serious illness.
“We didn’t know exactly what was wrong with him,” Lore said, recalling the event. “On the way to Des Moines, Franklin began to crash. I knew that he wasn’t doing well, when the nurse informed me that they should have gotten the helicop–ter.”
Lore then gave credit to the staff on hand in the ambulance.
“They’re so good at keeping you calm, that you almost don’t know if you should worry or not worry,” Lore said. “I can tell by the way they’re moving, I can tell that Franklin wasn’t doing well. But I tried to keep it together, because there’s no point freaking out.”
What had happened was that Franklin had his blood pressure bottom out, and the staff was forced to put a Bone Injection Gun into his leg. Even though he was stable, Lore was worried that she would lose him during the ride.
By the time they had reached the hospital, Franklin was in bad shape. He had a tube going down his throat, while he was twitching. Due to a hip surgery prior to the incident, and doctors feared that Franklin had pneumonia – as one of his lungs had collapsed.
Instead, Franklin was suffering from an infection.
“From there, we were in the hospital for three months,” Lore said. “During that time, he was in ICU for 12 days. On day nine, we adopted him in the hospital. If anything were to happen, he would be ours. After he was adopted, he starting coming to.”
Franklin would then be in and out of the hospital on a frequent basis, but the child was on the road to recovery.
“He had meningitis the entire time, and he had infection in his brain,” Lore said. “We were super lucky for the second time.”
Since then, Franklin im-proved and made a recovery. The seizures have since ceased, allowing Franklin to enjoy his favorite music and hear Mickey Mouse save Christmas once more with the help of Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse and Goofy.
“He’s doing really well now,” Lore said. “He’s had multiple surgeries, and is now on a (gastrostomy tube).”
Despite that recovery, Franklin will remain blind for the rest of his life.
“He does excellent, and he’s a pretty happy kid now,” Lore said of Franklin’s current condition. “He can’t walk, talk or see, but he’s a very happy kid.”
While their paths may be different, Lore does see parallels between her tough upbring–ing and the early adversity that Franklin had persevered through.
“I know what it’s like to not be wanted,” Lore said, speaking if she saw herself in Franklin. “I feel that for him and all of the kids we’ve had. That’s why I do it.”
Lore also praised her last foster mother for providing her “tough love” and the tools necessary to not only succeed in life, but also succeed in being aparent.
Everyday, Lore sings “You Are My Sunshine” to Franklin. Every time, he let outs a joyful sound while a smile stretches across his fledgling features.
Lore has even taken video of such an occasion, and is floored every single time by the subtle majesty of Franklin’s pleasant features.
To Lore, who once had big dreams of owning an upscale salon in Des Moines, Franklin’s presence brought life itself intoperspective.
“Franklin really prioritized everything,” Lore said. “He makes you appreciate every little thing. When you see him smiling, laughing, enjoying his music or happy when you touch him or when you sing to him, you have no right to complain. That’s what he does. Everybody who knows Franklin falls in love with him.”
“It’s like… if Franklin can smile, you can smile, too,” Lore added.
