James and Rachael Shannon and their daughters, Cailin, (from left), 6, Christen, 8, and Katie, 13, visited Lauderdale Lake, where Christen suffered brain damage in a near-drowning. At midnight Tuesday, the nearly $1,000 a day that pays for 8-year Christen Shannon's round-the-clock nursing care will stop coming from a private insurance plan and start coming from the taxpayers. Five years ago, Christen nearly drowned in Lauderdale Lake near her family's home in Elkhorn. The brain injury she suffered left her unable to move her arms or legs, to swallow or even to speak. With the help of skilled nurses who feed her through a tube into her abdomen and who suction out her mouth so she won't choke to death, Christen has been able to live at home and go to school. Her father, Jim Shannon, says his daughter is not only surviving, she's thriving.
Photo measures 10 x 7 inches. Photo is dated 11-06-1988.
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