Wesley's Story
Wesley was born right before Christmas in 2011. During
labor, his heart stopped beating and he had to be delivered via emergency
c-section. When he was born, he had to be aggressively resuscitated. His
brain was deprived of oxygen which caused him to have a stroke. He was on a
ventilator for 5 days and received brain cooling for 3 days to prevent
further brain damage. While in the NICU, he struggled to eat and gain weight
so he had surgery to place a feeding tube. He went home on his one month
birthday after making amazing progress.
In the first few months after going home, he was diagnosed with a cortical
vision impairment and hearing loss. At a year old, he was also diagnosed
with cerebral palsy. This past year he gained a diagnosis of epilepsy as
well. He still gets about half of his nutrition through the feeding tube and
is unable to talk, walk, or sit on his own. Despite his physical
limitations, he is a happy and smart little boy.
Today, he is attending two different preschool classes (one public school
class and one at a school for blind children). He enjoys spending time with
his friends there. He has an amazing smile and laugh that is contagious. He
loves his baby sister and she is just fascinated by him. Despite the
challenges the last three years have brought, we are incredibly blessed to
have Wesley as our son.