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Challenge Enterprises
Lighthouse Learning Center
Challenge Enterprises
We have had a lot of fun here with Travis
and it's just wonderful to see to the progress that he's made.
I'm just excited about the wonderful work that the staff does here at Lighthouse Learning Center.
The program is a very loving, nurturing, caring program
and it's a program that utilizes the approach
that the parents are the experts
with their child, and Travis had a wonderful support system
with his mom and dad
and the extended family that he had here at Lighthouse Learning Center.
It's been a long road but
there's been a lot of support from everybody.
from the hospitals
from doctors, the nurses, in home nursing,
And then when we got to Lighthouse the
support even grew more. Travis was born May 22nd
at the University of Florida. He has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus.
So his head was already enlarged so they knew they had to take him in
by c section.
He was an eight-pound baby
but his body was premature size
so his head was over 50% of his body weight. So once Travis
was born we spent a couple days,
he had a shunt put into his head at the University of Florida. Minor surgery there,
and we come home and Travis developed meningitis.
We spent about nine months
in the hospital.
Had 3 abscess taken out of his head from the meningitis.
And from there
brought him home. When he started coming here, he
did not move at all. There was no motion.
He has definitely far exceeded all doctors'
guess, because it's a guessing game
as to where he'll be, how far, what he can and can't do,
how far he'll go,
and he has definitely far exceeded those expectations.
I first met Travis 2 years ago and
and he came in not talking at all.
It is wonderful to see where he is now. He's talking to me
like in sentences.
He's saying I want to walk, I want to get out.
You know, and when he first came
to transport him we had to put him in a wagon,
and we pulled him around in a wagon.
And to see him today, wanting to hold your hand and walk down the hall,
you know, that's big for me.
The success on Travis's part has been based on everybody
that's been a part of his life.
Definitely here at Lighthouse, and at home,
this is pretty much his home away from home.
When I first came here
I was just amazed
at seeing the progress and the milestones that were achieved with children.
You know, and it gives the family hope.
And that's wonderful, especially when you have a family member that
goes before a doctor that says
your child will never be able to do this, or never be able to do that
your child will never be able to walk or talk, and to have a child come into a program, and get early intervention
and come in and leave here walking and talking, I mean just imagine what that does
to a parent's heart. It just gives them hope to say
that my child can do greater and bigger things than this, and I think that's just a wonderful story
that we have here at Lighthouse Learning Center, for all the children like Travis that we serve.
Very very very thankful of Lighthouse
and Challenge Enterprises.
I don't think words could really explain
the gratitude
and how thankful we are
the care, the support, the love. It goes way beyond
what I think you could cover.
It's huge.