‘Never’ Should be a 4 Letter Word
Joshua was born at only 26 weeks. Doctors were unable to determine any cause for the premature delivery. Shortly after his birth, he experienced a Grade 4 intraventricular hemorrhage. This prolonged internal bleeding resulted in severe trauma and damage to his brain. According to the doctors, Joshua would never survive.
In what would mark the first in a long list of overcoming ‘nevers’ placed on him by others, Joshua lived. Due to issues with his biological parents’ home life, Joshua became a ward of the state, placing further uncertainty on his long term survival. Following Joshua’s successful fight to recover from his traumatic birth, the foster care system was told that he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life. They needed to understand that there were no positive expectations for Joshua’s life. Any prospective foster parents would need to realize the severity of his condition and come to terms with what his life most certainly would and would not be.
Joshua was given a list of ‘nevers’… things he could not, and would not ever accomplish. He would never walk. He would never talk. He would never eat on his own. He would never be able to take care of himself. He would need drugs to control his condition for the rest of his life. He would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. As he grew, no one would be able to take care of him on their own. He should be put in a home that would be equipped to meet his countless needs.
What a sad, limiting prediction for life. Thankfully, Joshua’s story doesn’t end with the ‘nevers’.
Joshua’s condition has since been diagnosed as Hemiplegia, a severe form of Cerebral Palsy. The damage to his brain caused him to have weakness and decreased control of the right side of his body as well as obvious developmental, physical and speech delays. Joshua has been in occupational, physical and speech therapy for most of his young life. At the age of 3, Joshua was adopted. By this time he was able to speak. While he had a limited vocabulary, he was able to accomplish one more thing that he had been told he would never do.
Just prior to his 4th birthday, Joshua began taking Conductive Education classes at Sara’s Garden. He was still unable to walk without the assistance of another person, wheelchair, or walker. After spending six months in the CE program at Sara’s Garden, Joshua was walking and playing with his brothers and friends. Through much hard work he has been able to overcome more and more of the hurdles that were originally said to be impossible!
At 4½ years of age, Joshua began having seizures. According to the doctors, his test results showed that the seizures were coming from the area of his brain that had been most damaged at birth. After spending 3 long days in the hospital, his family was told that there was nothing more that could be done for Josh except to medicate him. Not wanting to accept this fate, Joshua began receiving Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatments at Sara’s Garden.
His family noticed changes taking place in Joshua immediately. This shy, quiet little boy was emerging out of his shell. After completing a round of 40 HBOT treatments Joshua is seizure free. Additionally, his focus and awareness has improved, his vocabulary has expanded and the use of the right side of his body has increased.
Thanks to Conductive Education and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Joshua has a much brighter future. The list of ‘nevers’ that he was given is gone. He has successfully checked off each and every limitation that was placed on him at birth.
No matter what you’ve been told, there is hope… and Sara’s Garden can help you find it.
