Colton's Friends

Chris Rutter - Founder & Father

2008-08-05T14:23:00.001-07:00

Chris Rutter attended UofA, recieved degree in Political Science. He managed and owned several companies in the construction/mining industries. Mr. Rutter then became a designer of custom swimming pools and backyard landscaping, and was sales and Marketing Director of several Tucson area Swimming pool companies.

In 2002, Chris moved to the Sonoita-Elgin area where he has begun work on making the Bar CR Ranch into the future home of "Coltons Friends Bar CR Ranch". This will include renovating the guest house/bunk house into a respite for families of children who have suffered a traumatic brain injury, and have been part of the Foundations programs. Plans include Equine Assisted Therapy,(EAP), coaching parents and siblings on the care and handling of horses, trail rides, hay rides, and general ranch life. While the children are cared for at the ranch parents will be encouraged to spend an evening away by themselves. Fundraising will be begin in 2008, and more information about the respite home will be added to website in the coming months.

Additionally Chris will be working with Dr. Theodorou at UMC, sharing his experiences caring for Colton in the hopes that others who will have injured children can benefit from the parents perspective as well as from the health care professionals.

Email

Emily Rutter - Board Member & Sister

2008-08-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

Emily Rutter is a student at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. She is majoring in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Development. Emily is the sister of Colton and the daughter of Chris Rutter. Emily believes that this foundation is such a great opportunity to help other families as well as the University Medical Center. Emily is excited to be part of this foundation in honor of her brother but also because it is going to make such a huge difference in so many families and children’s lives.

Christine Durnan - Board Member

2008-07-25T14:46:00.001-07:00

Christine Durnan is the owner of Visual Designs by Chris, Vice President of Human Resources for Acacia Information Technologies LLC, and Partner in Intelligent Data Solutions . She is also a volunteer and supporter of several charities within the Tucson community. Chris brings a background of graphic design, business operation and other charity board membership to Colton’s Friends. She looks at this position as a very special honor and takes it very personal as she is a cousin to Colton. She envisions this organization becoming a great asset to the University Medical Center patients and staff. In giving her time and effort to this organization, she hopes that Colton's experience in life will be a legacy of support for those children with Traumatic Brain Injury and their families.

Andy Theodorou, MD, FCCM - Board Member

2008-07-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Faculty Appointment: Professor/Clinical Pediatrics

Department: Pediatrics; Section Chief, Pediatric Critical Care, The University of Arizona Department of Pediatrics; Fellow, American College of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM) Specialty: Pediatric Critical Care; Pediatrics Board

Certifications: American Board of Pediatric Critical Care, American Board of Pediatrics Academic Information: Wayne State University, 1983

Residency: Children's Hospital of Michigan (Pediatrics) 1987 Fellowship: Children's Hospital of Michigan (Pediatric Critical Care Medicine) 1992
Practice Site Address:University Physicians Pediatrics1501 N Campbell AveTucson, Arizona 85724Phone:(520) 626-5485 Mailing Address: PO Box 245073Tucson, Arizona 85724

Additional Information: In 2007 Andreas Theodorou, MD, was accepted for Fellowship in the American College of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM). Dr. Theodorou was chosen based on his commitment to the ideals and practice of multiprofessional critical care, his dedication to education and research, his achievements in fostering the ideals of critical care by his leadership in program development, and his participation in critical care-related organizations, such as the Arizona Governor's Council on Spinal and Head Injuries.

Dr. Theodorou also serves as— Associate Head, UA Department of Pediatrics— Co-Director, Center for Quality and Safety at UMC— Member, Arizona Health and Hospital Association's Patient Safety Steering Committee

Dr. Theodorou is an award-winning instructor, teaching medical students, residents, nurses, paramedics and others. He also conducts research on medication errors and scorpion sting poisoning (envenomation). Dr. Theodorou was named one of the "Best Doctors in America" for 2006.

Ed Gaines - Board Member

2008-07-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Mr. Gaines is a partner in the Tucson law firm of Chandler & Udall. He is certified by the State of Arizona as a legal specialist in personal injury and wrongful death. His primary emphasis over the last decade has been handling professional liability, products liability and personal injury cases involving catastrophic injury. Additionally, he represents a number of insurers in bad faith litigation and coverage issues. He is rated an "AV" lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell. He has been recognized as one of Arizona's Finest Personal Injury Attorneys.

He regularly participates as a speaker in seminars involving his primary areas of practice. He also speaks frequently before professional civic groups on risk management and other topics relating to his area of practice.
He also serves as a Judge Pro Tem in the Pima County Superior Court.

Michael Dyet, RRT - Board Member

2008-07-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Michael has a BA in Psychology, has worked for 30 yrs at UMC and specializes in Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care. He is the technical specialist for the Respiratory Care Dept at UMC. He is also on the planning committee for the new UMC North Tower addition, which will include a Children's Hospital.He became involved in the foundation after observing what Colton was enduring as a patient during his long hospitalization at UMC, and seeing the need of families in similar situations who very often have no resources to fall back on.

Maggie Dyet, R.N. - Board Member

2008-07-25T14:29:00.001-07:00

Maggie has been an RN at UMC for 27 years, initially working as staff in the Nicu and most recently as staff nurse in the Newborn Nursery. She currently also works as a developmental follow-up nurse in the Newborn Intensive Care Program for the state of AZ, specializing in newborns who have spent time in the Nicu and who are at high risk for developmental delays.

She was Colton's developmental nurse during the time following his accident, and observed closehand the pain and suffering that was endured by Chris, Colton and Colton's siblings. She was moved to assist with the foundation due to having been a part of Colton's team. She also sees the dire need of carseats by the families upon discharge from UMC, and in the community by her clients in the followup program.

2008-07-25T13:59:00.001-07:00

Articles, Speaking Engagements & Events

2008-07-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

Articles about Colton's Friends or
Speaking Engagements & Events

Community Booth at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds
in Sonoita.September 28th-30th, 2007
More Information to come.www.sonoitafairgrounds.com

UMC Bereavements CeremonySeptember 2nd, 2007
Speech

KOLD News Channel 13
April 2007
pdf
video
Please be aware the video link may take a few moments to load and play.

Vim & Vigor UMC PublicationSpring 2007

Car Seat Program

2008-07-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

The Car Seat Program portion of the Foundation is the basis of the entire foundation. What started as a lofty goal; to provide carseats to needy families at UMC; suddenly grew, with ambition and imagination of the board members, into Colton's Friends as it is today.With the Carseat Program we hope to provide infant and toddler car restraints to families in need and without resources. This need may be grouped along with other health necessities required by a family, or may be a child in the Newborn Nursery, Nicu, Pediatric 3W or Picu who requires only a carseat.We ask that parents do their best to install the seats safely and correctly, abiding by the law, and if possible have them professionally installed.(UMC has certified child passenger safety technicians).

Car Seat Program Donations

Our Car Seat Program is supported soley by purchases from local retailers and direct purchase from the carseat manufacturer. Although we greatly appreciate your consideration of a donation of a car seat you aren't using, for many reasons we are required to provide families with new seats which inlude the instruction manual. It currently costs the foundation approximately $50 per infant or toddler restraint. A donation of a mere $50 to the foundation will allow us to provide a family with a child restraint that they would not be able to afford!If you are a retailer or car seat manufacturer and would like to assist us in reducing our costs, please contact us. We would happily work out a situation to stretch our spending dollars and therefore meet our goal of providing for more children.

Donations can be made out to
Colton's Friends and sent to
UMC Foundation/Colton's FriendsUniversity Medical Center
PO Box 245128Tucson, AZ 85724-5128

University Medical Center

2008-07-22T17:11:00.002-07:00

UMC is a private, nonprofit hospital located at the Arizona Health Sciences Center, adjacent to The University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. AHSC includes the colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health as well as the physicians from University Physicians Healthcare. These affiliations enable UMC to take a leadership role in offering the latest treatments as well as routine medical care and wellness.
University Medical Center is located on Campbell between Grant and Speedway in Tucson, Arizona.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

2008-07-22T17:11:00.001-07:00

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of a TBI may range from “mild,” i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness to “severe,” i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. For more information, please visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov.

Colton's Story by Maggie Dyet, RN.

2008-07-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

Colton was the son of my friend, Chris Rutter. Chris had just been awarded sole custody of Colton. On the day of the accident they were traveling to Tucson from Chris’s ranch in Sonoita. Colton was strapped in his carseat, which was on the passenger side of the back seat. Immediately after the accident Colton was conscious and crying, and was transported by helicopter to UMC. Initially he was going to be held for observation until it became apparent that he was injured more seriously.

Apparently a piece of metal from the frame of the car had flown in somehow and snapped Colton in the skull, causing a fracture that was not immediately evident. Once the seizures began due to swelling of the brain he was placed on life support. He was started on anti-seizure medication, and a paralyzing drug in order to minimize the swelling of the brain by preventing Colton to move or breathe on his own. In spite of this, his intra-cranial pressure rose to a dangerous level. An external shunt was put in place by the neurosurgeon to drain off the excess fluid, and eventually a flap of bone was removed from the left side of his skull to relieve the ever-building pressure. Slowly he began to stabilize, eventually being taken off life support and breathing on his own. But he would never be the same healthy, normal boy that he used to be.

After two months in the PICU at UMC he was discharged home. His medical condition was quite fragile; he was blind, had severe cerebral palsy (CP), had lost his ability to suck (although he could swallow) and had to have a gastrostomy tube (G-Tube) inserted into his stomach for feedings of high calorie formula. He also required a surgery called a fundal placation, which made the opening from his esophagus into his stomach stronger and able to hold the formula down. He had an internal V-P shunt (ventriculoperitoneal; one that drained spinal fluid from his ventricles into his abdominal cavity) placed. He could hear, and respond to pain, and touch. He was on anti-seizure medication, muscle relaxant, reflux meds, anti-anxiety medication, another medication to decrease the amount of saliva he produced. He was provided with wall suction and a tank of oxygen with a nasal cannula, and had trained care-givers come to his house to assist Chris in his care.

He survived for another year, being readmitted to UMC frequently for bouts of aspiration pneumonia due to frequent vomiting. Eventually his gastric surgery failed, and in August of 2006 the decision was made by Chris to place him in hospice care at TMC. He survived there for nine days before taking his last breath, with his dad, his brother and sister, and his loving caregivers at his side.

Colton's Story - his sister's perspective

2008-07-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

When a child is affected so dramatically by TBI, everyone's lives involved are affected. Everyone's perspective is important to have because we all live with it in our own way.

Colton's Story by his sister, Emily

My little brother was a gorgeous child who came into our lives a little over two years ago. He had a smile and a laugh that stole your heart! Unfortunately in July of 2005 my father was in a severe car accident where he was t-boned, my little brother was in the car that day. Immediately my father and brother were airlifted to our local hospital University Medical Center (UMC) in Tucson, Arizona. At first there were no visible signs of injury to my little brother, but soon enough they realized that this fragile boy might not make it through the night. A piece of glass flew back to where my brother was strapped into his car seat and slit the top of his head. This caused major brain damage in Colton as well as swelling in his brain. The swelling got so bad that they had to remove the left side of the skull to give his brain room. The damage to his brain caused him to go blind and he lost control of the movements in his body (this is cerebral palsy). My brother stayed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for three months before they allowed my father to finally take him home.

We were so happy that Colton had survived for as long as he had but knew that there was a long road ahead of us. We took it one day at time and made sure that Colton had a lot of love in his life, and he did! It got hard sometimes because there was so much care involved with a child as sick as Colton, but there were no questions about it and we knew what we had to do.
Colton survived fourteen months after the accident in which he spent a lot of time between home and the hospital. In Colton’s final days we checked him into Tucson Medical Centers (TMC) hospice and waited out the inevitable. He survived a week in hospice before his body finally gave up. My brother was the light in all that was bad, and he gave my family hope and love. The two years we got to spend with Colton were by far the best.

After Colton’s accident my father decided he wanted to help out and start a foundation with the UMC hospital. We are getting on our way and are really excited to help out the families that are going through a lot that we went through. Our goal is to raise five million dollars to ensure that all the families in need are able to get the supplies and proper care that comes along with a brain injured child. We also want to make sure that all the families (with our without a sick child) never leave the hospital without a car seat or without enough gas to make it home. Another thing that we are doing is putting together care packages (which is one of my projects) that include simple baby items such as onesies, receiving blankets, and bath items. We would greatly appreciate your help in this area if at all possible. Through this foundation Colton's life lives on to help other children and their families.

Contact Information

2008-07-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

Mailing Information
Donations can be made out to
Colton's Friends and sent to
UMC Foundation/Colton's FriendsUniversity Medical Center
PO Box 245128Tucson, AZ 85724-5128
Christopher Rutter
Mailing Address:HC1 Box 234Elgin, AZ 85611

Christopher Rutter
Cell: (520) 471-2957
email

Emily Rutter
email

Chris Durnan
(520) 870-9952
email

Maggie Dyet
email