Donor support lets Alex tell his parents how much he loves them.
Upon meeting Alex, you wouldn’t know that when this lively and cheerful 10-year-old boy was born, he was given just weeks to live. Alex’s story began 10 years ago on a snowy evening on December 24th.
Stacey was at work when she received a call from her husband, Gord, that changed their lives forever. “We just got a call for a newborn baby that really needs our help. Can you go down to SickKids and pick him up after work?” Stacey and Gord had been waiting to foster a child in their loving home, and the timing couldn’t have been more unexpected. Within hours Stacey was on her way to pick Alex up from the hospital.
Alex’s birth was a difficult one. His birth mom didn’t realize she was in labour and went to a few different hospitals before they figured out that she was. Alex got stuck in the birth canal during delivery and suffocated. The doctors immediately put him on life support.
“There was just no more that the hospital could do for him. We were told he was blind and deaf, and his brain was severely damaged. The doctors sent Alex home to receive palliative care. He was coming home to die,” said Stacey.
“There was just no more that the hospital could do for him. We were told he was blind and deaf, and his brain was severely damaged. The doctors sent Alex home to receive palliative care. He was coming home to die.”
You won’t believe what happened next.
Although doctors only gave Alex a month to live, a month came and went, and Stacey began to see signs of Alex’s development. The doctors dismissed the signs at first, but they were undeniable. Alex continued to grow and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at two years old.
Caring people like you helped Alex’s family with the cost of a communication device that allows him to communicate with the touch of a button. Your kindness makes this possible. And this holiday season, we need your help to give more kids like Alex the equipment they deserve.
Will you give kids with disabilities the mobility and accessibility equipment they desperately need this holiday season by making a gift today?
As a child on the severe end of the cerebral palsy spectrum, Alex faces many challenges. Without the ability to communicate verbally, he is unable to convey even his most basic needs without the use of a communication device. Thankfully, Easter Seals donors were there for Alex and his family when they needed it most. For Alex and his family, having access to a communication device has been absolutely life changing. “The communication device gives Alex a voice. When he has it, he can tell us he’s hungry or needs to go to the bathroom. It gives him independence, and it’s so appreciated,” said Stacey.
Because of Stacey, her husband, and caring supporters like you, Alex not only has a voice this holiday season but a family and a home for the rest of his life. He has grown into an independent and happy-go-lucky kid who loves to play with his siblings, go on walks, colour, swim, and more.
Your support also gave Alex an unforgettable camp experience this past summer. Alex had the opportunity to attend Easter Seals camp for the first time and had the time of his life. “I picked him up and he didn’t want to go home!” Stacey shared.
“The communication device gives Alex a voice. When he has it, he can tell us he’s hungry or needs to go to the bathroom. It gives him independence, and it’s so appreciated”
Many of the kids you help are miracle babies just like Alex. This holiday season, your Easter Seals gift will go directly towards providing the essential equipment they need to live happy and safe lives.
“If there wasn’t support from people out there who care so much, I don’t know if we would have been able to afford to raise Alex. I think back, and because he came from the Children’s Aid Society, his only other option would’ve been a group home. He wouldn’t have a family life. If we didn’t have all the support from caring people like you behind us, I wonder where Alex would be today? Now he has a family and a home for the rest of his life because there is support out there, so it means the world, it really does,” shared Stacey.
Thank you for being there for kids with physical disabilities when they need you most. We wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season and treasure your support as a vital member of the Easter Seals Community.