Jeremiah has Cortical Visual Impairment and has been delayed in every milestone, but he is one amazing little guy. According to his Vision Specialist “he is a go-getter and a problem-solver.” He doesn’t wait for his environment to come to him to explore, he goes to explore.. According to his grandmother, this is one reason safety is a concern. He doesn’t have much fear. He is always eager to explore everything. “I watch him daily and I am amazed daily at what he can do regardless of any circumstances.”
His grandmother tells his story: “Jeremiah is a miracle boy. I know all children are, but he especially is. His biological mom didn’t know she was pregnant until she was seven months pregnant, had no prenatal care until then. She was on a number of prescription drugs as well as using Meth. Once I was aware, I watched her closely and we had many appointments with an OB. To our amazement, he was born healthy, with some minor issues that kept us in the hospital a few days longer than normal before we could bring this bundle of joy home. At five weeks, Jeremiah developed RSV and went downhill quickly. On the 4th day, he needed to be ventilated. Thank the good Lord we were at Children’s Mercy Hospital. During the process he coded and was without oxygen 6-8 minutes. When he came back, it took the doctors and nurses 10 solid hours to stabilize him. According to the doctor everything that could go wrong with him, did.”
Amazingly, he recovered.. He even overcame Nystagmus without surgery! He was, however, diagnosed with CVI. He is speech delayed, and receives PT, OT, Speech Therapy and Vision Therapy. Jeremiah is a growing boy and recently outgrew his stroller. Due to his CVI, he doesn’t have great balance and is too heavy to safely carry around. There is a mobility solution for him – the Wonderful Wagon. It’s big enough to allow for him to grow and still use it and most importantly, he can be secured in it for his own safety.
Variety KC supporters love that this request was one that allows Jeremiah to get out in his community, engage with others, and it allows for mobility SAFELY. This month, Jeremiah’s got his Wonderful Wagon. There are so many kids like Jeremiah who are too young for some mobility equipment, but too big to be carried – help us to provide a safe alternative for them – donate today, www.varietykc.org/donate
