BY TOBY MCCRAE
tobymccrae@gmail.com
ELKHART -- DaMonica Paul is likely to receive an outpouring of community support as she prepares for multiple surgeries to reconstruct her missing nose.
The 4 1/2-year-old's nose was bit off by a pit bull while she was outside playing in the yard of a neighbor's rented Elkhart home last summer, said the child's mother, Melissa Paul.
A wave of momentum to help the Paul family is now rolling in, say organizers of Cornbread-n-Jazz, a grassroots community arts outreach organization in Elkhart.
Like other Cornbread-n-Jazz nights, an event on Dec. 18 to benefit the family will feature live local music, an open microphone for poetry readings and people from local arts, business, faith, social services and community leadership circles. Any adult member of the public is invited. It's the first time that Cornbread-n-Jazz has chosen to focus on the needs of one specific family, Carter said. Originally, Cornbread-n-Jazz aimed to provide free, upscale entertainment and networking opportunities for adults who were out of work or facing life transitions.
DaMonica Paul's journey is a natural fit with the charitable outreach vision for Cornbread-n-Jazz, said Dorothy Carter, Cornbread's lead organizer.
"I have seven grandchildren and I simply could not imagine any one of them having to go through this. She is a normal, bouncy, adorable 4-year-old. She has tons of energy and so much happiness, despite what she's been through. After meeting her, we just couldn't say no," said Carter.
After the dog bite last July, DaMonica was airlifted to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, where her nose -- which was recovered and transported on ice -- was surgically re-attached. Several weeks later, her nose detached and fell away, leaving the nostrils uncovered and open. It was impossible for doctors to re-attach a second time, Paul said.
Riley doctors then managed to seal the hole in DaMonica's face by stitching the remaining nostril flaps together. She received 10 treatments in an oxygen chamber to hasten the healing of the raw tissues. In mid-December, a complicated process to repairing her facial disfigurement begins.
A team of doctors expects to perform one surgery every three weeks, for up to a twelve-week period. Between the surgeries and afterward, for up to 24 weeks, she will be quarantined. After that, the "sweet, social bunny of a child with a real gift of the gab" will have a 10 percent chance of recovering any sense of smell, her mother said.
Elkhart City Councilman Rod Roberson connected the Paul family with Dorothy Carter and other Cornbread-n-Jazz organizers after hearing DaMonica's story.
Roberson is working on an ad-hoc city council committee to establish a new ordinance that could potentially mandate owner registration of all dogs, specifically those identified to be dangerous or a public safety risk", Roberson said.
"This little girl is no different from any other 4-year-old. She could've been one of my two kids. When we see these kinds of accidents, we have to face realities and take the steps, albeit uncomfortable, to make changes, so that next time it isn't your daughter, or your granddaughter, or your niece," he said.
DaMonica's mom is a homemaker. Her father, Duwan Paul, is a machinist who was laid off from a factory job at Hadley Products in Elkhart two years ago. The couple have two other children, ages 16 and 7. On public assistance, the Pauls can't handle the present or future emotional or financial strains alone.
They have yet to receive professional family counseling, but hope they can find money for it. They anticipate extensive travel costs and need to buy a wardrobe of special clothing for DaMonica -- hypo-allergenic clothing that snaps or buttons up at the neck, to prevent fabrics from rubbing the child's face as it heals. Carpet cleaning services will be needed to disinfect the family home. There will be continuing, long-term medical costs not covered by Medicare, Paul said.
Today, DaMonica is home-bound. She receives once-weekly tutoring through the Elkhart Career Center. Although described as happy and well-adjusted today, she will need counseling to cope with the social and emotional problems common to children growing up with facial disfigurements.
"Kids can be very cruel. We have to protect her and prepare her for the reality," of attending public school one day, Paul said.
The Paul family first met and became friendly with the pit bull's previous owners, when the dog went missing from the owners' yard one day. The Paul family found the dog, brought it home with them, and later returned it, Roberson said.
From that point on, the children of both families played together, often with the dog, he said.
A pit bull that once brought two families together is now tearing them apart. Melissa and Dewan Paul are considering a civil action lawsuit against their former neighbors. The dog, reportedly named Sierra, was euthanized last summer.
HOW TO HELP DAMONICA PAUL
Cornbread-n-Jazz will take place from 8 to 11 p.m. Dec. 18 at Concord Mall. Admission is free, but a non-perishable food item will be collected at the door and given to the Paul family and other local food outreach programs.
Donations can also be given at any First Source Bank location. A fund has been established to help the family. Please make checks payable to: "DaMonica Paul Relief Fund"
Drop off any used cell phone at Concord Mall. For every used cell phone donated, $1 will be donated to DaMonica's fund.
Fore more information about Cornbread-n-Jazz, call Concord Mall's marketing office at 875-6502 or visit the Cornbread-n-Jazz page on Facebook.