Many of you know I worked for two and a half years with a boy who had been in a drowning when he was 7 months old. His mom and him ended up in a fast moving river in which she drowned and this boy was found face down in the river for about thirty minutes they believe. It was a cold day in the end of January and the cold river shut down the boys body which help him survive.
Firefighters rescued him from that river. We are coming up to the five year anniversary of that day. The boy was airlifted to children’s hospital where he was put into a coma to help his body from the trauma. The incident rocked the community where he lived. It changed many lives forever.
Recovery was slow but this boy fought hard to stay alive. He survived but because he was face down in the water they think for about 30 minutes he suffered with brain damage. His family gathered together trying to make sense of what had happened. The father lost his wife and now his son has brain damage. How do you move on from that.
By God’s grace this family had to move forward. The little boy grew and laughed lots and loved music. When he was two and a half I was given the privilege of working with him and his family. Even though he had lived through this tragedy there was so much he could not do. He needed someone to help him always. His speech and fine motor skills were effected and when I met him he didn’t realize there was a whole world outside of him. When we went out for a walk he only focused on walking. He didn’t see the cars, trucks or anything.
My job was to help him in his daily life at daycare. He was a very shy little boy and I worked with him in his routines. I helped him move forward in so many areas of his life. He couldn’t do hardly anything when I met him. With a amazing team of therapists he came with I put into place all that they wanted me to do. Repition was huge. We stuck to our routine and we worked and worked on the same things and eventually it would click and we could move on.
I taught him how to be independent washing his hands, toilet training that took 7 months. His balance was not good when I met him to now being so good and strong. We worked on fine motor and gross motor skills. When things were hard for him I always told him it’s hard now but when you practice them it becomes easier. There was nothing this boy would not try and his perseverance was amazing.
I got him ready for kindergarten and even his speech had improved so much. He uses a touch chat program to help him communicate with others. Before he left my care his dad and family asked me to be part of their lives. Wow what a gift that is indeed. I see him as much as much as I want and in 4 months he’s got so many more words and clearly speaks them.
Just before Christmas his dad sent me a video of him saying my name for the first time ever. I was brought to tears wow. A couple of days ago I was visiting and he now says my name so clearly and even whines my name. He says to me Hi Sarah. That boy has come leaps and bounds in 5 years. He is a miracle what God has done in his life and continues to do.
My greatest gift is having this boy and his family in my life. I love this boy so much. He has taught me so many things in my life. Never giving up is one of them. His perseverance shines so brightly. I pray that God continues to help him speak more and that He continues to guide him in his life.
Beauty from Ashes. 