Tag: Therapy Room

It is ironic that “happy” is a symptom of Angelman Syndrome, a rare neurogenetic disorder that causes global developmental delays, lack of speech, and seizures. Stetson, age six, was extremely happy and a “good” baby. Born at 8lbs. 6 oz. and acting so full of life, it was surprising at ten months to notice developmental delays. At 12 months, Stetson began PT and OT once a week at home. Stetson was so social, engaging, and happy, and his parents were told he would probably ‘catch up’ quickly. At 16 months, Stetson had his first of many seizures and was given a seizure disorder diagnosis. Over the next six weeks, Stetson had multiple seizures, as the family awaited genetic testing, which confirmed his Angelman Syndrome diagnosis.

Stetson’s mom stopped working outside the home to care for him. They have spent the last four years traveling to specialists all over the east coast and even participating in brain studies to help learn more about this rare disease. Stetson participates in speech therapy twice a week, hippo-therapy, and swim lessons as well as going to kindergarten, where he also receives additional PT, OT, and speech therapy.
Children with AS tend to be very sensory seeking and have an oral fixation, but overall, they are happy kids. Stetson loves to wander, climb, and play with whatever he can get his hands on. He can be very impulsive and is not always safe while exploring. He has to be watched non-stop, even in his own home, to make sure he is safe. With the increasing demands of a new baby brother, a sensory/therapy room will allow Stetson to explore and play safely while attention is shared between two children. It will also provide him with the opportunity to improve his motor skills at home while playing and offer some of the independence six-year-old boys crave, things that are important for his development. Stetson’s parents will have peace of mind knowing he is both safe and getting the proper stimulation.
The past five years have been replete with travel, testing, and treatment. With an in-home sensory/therapy room, Stetson’s whole family will benefit from more routine day-to-day life at home.

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This adorable eight year-old boy is going to be getting an incredible dream makeover! His name is Samuel. He is an inspiration to many and transforms the hearts of all who encounter him. He has an amazing way with people and every time they see his bright smile and bold determination, they forget about their own worlds of troubles and challenges and are instantly illuminated with delight.

Samuel and his twin brother Wesley were both born prematurely at 25 weeks on January 25, 2011. Both boys weighed just over one pound. The fact that they both survived is a miracle. They stayed in the Kennestone Hospital NICU for three months. Though very sick, Wesley made it through the ordeal with no lasting physical challenges. Samuel, however, suffered from a Grade IV intraventricular hemorrhage at five days old. This led quickly to hydrocephalus, the placement of a shunt, and the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Right before his 4th birthday, Samuel aspirated on some food during his first seizure. He was life-flighted to Scottish Rite (CHOA) Hospital. He recovered, but after several more seizures immediately following this episode, epilepsy was added to his list of diagnoses. In August 2016, Samuel underwent his first shunt revision and in April 2017, he suffered from a subdural hematoma, which led to an additional surgery and a shunt placed in the left side of his head to drain the excess fluid.

Due to his challenges with cerebral palsy and balance deficits, Samuel is unable walk independently. He uses a Kaye Reverse walker, a gait belt, or a Lofstrand crutch for mobility. He also wears AFO’s on both feet and has significant weakness in his right hand. Samuel has put in hundreds of hours working through physical therapy, occupational therapy, therapeutic horseback riding, and a one-on-one gymnastics class for conditioning and strengthening. Every little success is a milestone for him and he has made huge stride over the past several years. After enormous amounts of hard work and dedication, Samuel can stand for minutes at a time, walk across the therapy gym without falling and catch a volleyball. These feats drive him to work harder and keep sight of his goals and dreams.

In spite of his physical challenges, Samuel is like any other 8 year-old boy with a hearty sense of humor, zest for mischief, a wealth of good jokes, an obsession with motorcycles and a never-ending supply of giggles when his dog bathes his ears with kisses. His ultimate goal is to ride a motorcycle one day and he is surely going to accomplish that goal.

The relationship between Samuel and his brother Wesley is a beautiful and unique one. Wesley lovingly stands by him in every endeavor and cheers him on. Samuel yearns to be as independent as his brother and therefore eagerly works toward mastering new skills. They celebrate every victory together and no triumph is small.

Sunshine on a Ranney Day will be celebrating all of Samuel’s conquests through the provision of a stunning new therapy room! We look forward to watching him light up the room as his radiant smiles and contagious giggles fill the renovated space! We hope that you will join us at the big reveal!

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Meet Matthew! Matthew is a fun-spirited 7-year old who loves watching Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood morning, noon and night! He can sing most of the songs and wants his mom and dad to sing with him. Matthew also loves being outside every opportunity he gets. He is a very sweet and caring young boy who cherishes life. At the age of 1, Matthew was developing on a typical schedule for a boy his age and hitting all of the expected developmental milestones. He was crawling, walking and saying his first words. It was a joy to watch him grow. One day in March of 2013, his parents received a phone call from Matthews daycare, stating that he was having a seizure and they were taking him to the hospital. There, Matthew was diagnosed with an ear infection that caused a febrile seizure. This was just the beginning of months of recurring ear infections and other illnesses that came with several more seizures. After seeing a neurologist, Matthew was diagnosed with a febrile seizure disorder. His parents were advised to put Matthew on anti-seizure medication to control the seizures. This, along with surgery to put tubes in his ears, worked wonders for Matthew. In the spring of 2018, Matthew’s family sought the assistance of a different neurologist and had another EEG that revealed he was experiencing a variety of types of seizures and he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Shortly after going through all of this, his parents started to notice changes in Matthew.

He stopped responding to his name, stopped making eye contact, started flapping his hands, and started babbling rather than using the words he had previously spoken on a regular basis. Words like “mama” and “dadda” simply disappeared from his vocabulary. Matthew underwent extensive testing from a psychologist who spend a great deal of time assessing his skills and behaviors. At the conclusion of the assessment, they were told that Matthew had Autism. This diagnosis was unexpected and heartbreaking. After speaking with his pediatrician, they decided that the first step in getting Matthew the help he needed was to get him enrolled into the Babies Can’t Wait early intervention program. He was only in the program for roughly 6 months until he turned 3. He then continued services with the county public school system along with private speech, occupational and physical therapy. Now, after four years of weekly private speech, occupational, physical and ABA therapy Matthew is demonstrating significant gains. Matthew’s communication has increased tremendously. The ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) therapy helps teach him self-help skills, such as potty training and play skills. Matthew is starting to play more with friends, make eye contact and is talking more. Every single day is a new day and every milestone is big. The small victories add together to make big changes leading to a bright future for Matthew. Sunshine on a Ranney Day is excited to be planning a brilliant dream therapy room to help Matthew enjoy a place where he continue to thrive while in the comfort of his own home! Please join us in making this project come to fruition!

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Our next recipient of a dream therapy room makeover is sweet Jonah. This blonde haired, blue eyed surfer boy is a six-year-old who is full of life and an absolute joy to be around. He loves watching the Braves play, dancing to songs at Vacation Bible School and reading books. He can often be found playing hide and go seek, making crafts or being silly with his sister. Jonah’s life started differently than expected. After birth, he was found to have a cleft palate. The pediatrician also referred him to cardiology as he thought he heard an inconsequential heart murmur. Following the cardiology examination, Jonah was hospitalized immediately and they gave his parents life changing news. They told them that Jonah had a series of four major heart defects and they couldn’t believe that he was alive. Jonah was hospitalized for twenty-eight days. They were able to monitor him and discovered that he had Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS), pulmonary stenosis, subaortic stenosis, bicuspid aortic valve and an atrioventricular septal defect. After closing his Patent Ductus Arteriosus, they then put in a g-tube and closed two hernias. His significant medical procedures did not stop there. Months after these surgeries, he endured the Glenn bidirectional surgery. Jonah was also in and out of the hospital several times due to colds and viruses. He had his cleft palate repaired when he was approximately a year and a half old.

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This brilliantly blue-eyed little peanut is Abby. She is as active as she is adorable. As you can see, her smile is contagious and she is quite lovable. Abby was the first recipient for 2019 of a dream therapy room makeover from Sunshine on a Ranney Day. At fifteen months of age, Abby was diagnosed with a congenital neurological brain defect called Partial Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum. This defect impedes the left and right hemispheres of the brain from connecting properly and results in significant developmental delays or disabilities. One year later, Abby was also diagnosed with severe autism. As a result, Abby has significant developmental and intellectual delays. She is seven years old and goes to a specialized program in the public school system specifically designed for severely delayed kids like her. They provide a self-contained classroom as well as occupational and speech therapy. For Abby, learning new things takes more time. She is non-verbal and still in diapers, but extremely ambulatory! She is always on the go and this adventurous little girl will climb absolutely anything. She is constantly on a mission and creates mountains of furniture to climb and explore. She loves to spin around on the floor, swing on her swing set, jump on trampolines and run everywhere!

Photography by Niki Murphy Photography

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Photography by Niki Murphy Photography

Photography by Niki Murphy Photography