Kevin's Healing Journey: May 2018

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Spring Dance Recital 2018 - I Want Candy

Spring Dance Recital - May 5, 2018

This was Abby's (Kevin's helper) last recital with Kevin - she is graduating and going to college next year. I feel so blessed to know this amazing girl! After Kevin's very first dance recital, I put a message out to our church's teen group asking for a helper for Kevin's dance class. Abby answered right away and impressed me immediately when we met. She didn't need service hours and she did it amongst all her other activities. This girl is kind-hearted and dedicated...like when she changed into her prom dress immediately after last spring's dance recital. Congratulations Abby, we love you!

We were blessed with many friends and family to support all these amazing dancers. It does my heart good to watch these kids shine!

Backstage...where Kevin likes to smile!

Thanks for the pictures Jacki

Growing like a weed - last year & this year

Thanks for the bubbles, Abby!

Bike, Dance, Walk - May 5 & 6, 2018

This was an extraordinarily awesome and abundantly blessed weekend...and it wasn't just the perfect spring weather in Ohio.

Saturday morning, Kevin and I cheered on our church's 5K-ers. Kevin rode his bike up and down the sidewalk on the 5K route. He rang his bike bell and honked his horn to cheer them on from the first to the last participant…it was so much fun!!!

Saturday evening, Kevin had his spring dance recital. We were once again blessed with family and friends coming to see Kevin and his awesome friends. Pictures to follow in a separate post.

Lots and lots of blessings but here is my favorite...
Sunday afternoon, Jon, Kevin, and I went to the Daffodil Trail and Kevin walked the entire 0.8 mile trail !!!!! I AM SO PROUD OF HIM!!!!

New opportunities are opening up for us with all of Kevin's hard work in therapy. It's nice to see it paying off in family activities.

Even a sign from Uncle Kevin that he is proud of Kevin

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Mom & Dad Date Nights

Last year with Kevin's surgeries and recoveries it was difficult to get out for date nights - we've been making them up this year big time!

March 28 - PINK Concert!!!!

April 13 - Dinner with Chef Father Jim

Father Jim

Wild Goose Sisters

Violin music by Joel

April 20 - LifeTeen Fundraiser: A Night Under the Stars

Abby - one of our favorite LifeTeen-ers

April 28 - Anniversary Overnight at Maumee Bay

Time with Dad

Dad reading an oldie but a goodie during family dinner night - Bear Snores On

Kevin was helping to say the words on his Talker by saying BEAR during the phrases Bear snores on. But then at one point during the story, it was time for him to say BEAR and he started giggling uncontrollably and he said DAD instead of BEAR - Dad snores on...LOL!!!

Bear growls

Lots of Laughs

Kevin helps say words in the story

March 26 - Dad takes Kevin to WWE wrestling

April 3 - Dad and Kevin go to a CAVS basketball game

April 8 - Opening weekend, Dad and Kevin at an Indians baseball game

Meeting Carlos Baerga

Spring 2018

April 1 - Happy Easter

April 8 - OSU's pinwheel planting ceremony to honor my Dad and his heart donor.

A pinwheel is chosen because it is 8 spokes supported by 1 stem--symbolic that one organ donor can save up to 8 lives through organ donation.

Spring Nature Photos

Turtles

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron's Nest

Eagles

My Blog

This blog was created to keep our family and friends updated on Kevin's healing journey. It is also our hope that others may find this blog to give help and hope to other delayed kids.

About Kevin

They told us Kevin would never walk or talk. But with lots of prayers, hard work, and extra hands, he began walking when he was four years old and we continue to have faith and hope as we wait patiently for his speech to develop. Kevin is now eight years old. He is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy due to a brain-injury he had before birth that was caused by a stroke. In 2006, before Kevin was 2 years old, we found Glenn Doman’s book "What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child" that had answers to help children with special needs and developmental delays. We began an individualized home treatment program for Kevin immediately and have been dedicated to our program ever since. We spent three years with the Doman family at The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP) and now we are with Matthew and Carol Newell at The Family Hope Center (FHC). Twice a year we return to Philadelphia where Kevin receives a neurological evaluation to determine the progress he has made in the last six months. Then they provide us with an individualized, program that puts me in charge to help Kevin develop and reach his fullest potential.

Do You Know a Delayed Child?

The best recommendation we can give to another parent with a special needs or developmentally delayed child (brain-injured, brain-damaged, mentally retarded, mentally deficient, cerebral-palsied, epileptic, autistic, athetoid, hyperactive, attention deficit disordered, developmentally delayed, or down's) is to read Glenn Doman's book What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child and/or Dr. Coralee Thompson and Dr. Philip Maffetone's book Healthy Brains, Healthy Children. By simply reading these books, you will gain valuable information to help your child which will begin to unlock the potential your child has. And best of all you will learn that there are other options to helping your child that you can do yourself. We would also highly recommend attending the parent course at FHC or IAHP. To read how our journey began and the successful progress Kevin has had refer to the January 2010 blog archive.