Simon (2007)

When Simon started at DLC we were told he would not live past the age of two and had a “Do not resuscitate order.” He had what is called a Lysencephaly or a “smooth brain.” This meant he would be losing skills and couldn’t improve. He had many physical deformities but seemed to be quite alert. The teachers and therapists worked with Simon on his skills and inspite of the doctors diagnosis Simon was learning. He began crawling, standing, walking and imitating sounds at 18 months old. The doctors did a brain scan to check his progress and his brain had fully developed and was within the normal range. The “Do not resuscitate order” was rescinded. Because of his genetic syndrome this is impossible, according to his doctor, but we know that all things are possible at DLC with God’s help!

Update (2009)

DLC had a special visitor drop by. Simon’s mom brought him by to show us his progress. Simon is now 7 years old and attending Dinsmore Elementary School. He is in a typical first grade class and is reading at the top level. He was thrilled to see us and told us all about himself. All of our staff was just as thrilled to see him as most of them worked with Simon as a baby.

Also his mom, Laura, has graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in business and is applying to the University of Florida to become a Speech Therapist. This has all been possible because DLC was able to care for Simon so mom could attend college years ago.

What a great success for Simon, his mom, DLC and also to those of you that have supported DLC over the last 17 ½ years. We hope this story and the follow-up report will bless each of you and encourage you to continue giving to our worthy cause. We could use your donations now more than ever as we are serving 75-80 children at a time and our costs are sky rocketing. With God’s help we hope to be around for many years to come and for all the “Simon’s” that need us.

God Bless,
Amy Buggle

Simon (2007)

When Simon started at DLC we were told he would not live past the age of two and had a “Do not resuscitate order.” He had what is called a Lysencephaly or a “smooth brain.” This meant he would be losing skills and couldn’t improve. He had many physical deformities but seemed to be quite alert. The teachers and therapists worked with Simon on his skills and inspite of the doctors diagnosis Simon was learning. He began crawling, standing, walking and imitating sounds at 18 months old. The doctors did a brain scan to check his progress and his brain had fully developed and was within the normal range. The “Do not resuscitate order” was rescinded. Because of his genetic syndrome this is impossible, according to his doctor, but we know that all things are possible at DLC with God’s help!

Update (2009)

DLC had a special visitor drop by. Simon’s mom brought him by to show us his progress. Simon is now 7 years old and attending Dinsmore Elementary School. He is in a typical first grade class and is reading at the top level. He was thrilled to see us and told us all about himself. All of our staff was just as thrilled to see him as most of them worked with Simon as a baby.

Also his mom, Laura, has graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in business and is applying to the University of Florida to become a Speech Therapist. This has all been possible because DLC was able to care for Simon so mom could attend college years ago.

What a great success for Simon, his mom, DLC and also to those of you that have supported DLC over the last 17 ½ years. We hope this story and the follow-up report will bless each of you and encourage you to continue giving to our worthy cause. We could use your donations now more than ever as we are serving 75-80 children at a time and our costs are sky rocketing. With God’s help we hope to be around for many years to come and for all the “Simon’s” that need us.

God Bless,
Amy Buggle

Jesse began attending DLC Nurse & Learn at 19 months. At that time he was remarkably delayed in all areas of development. He had been attending a full-time program staffed with speech, occupational, and physical therapists. However, his progress had slowed noticeably.
When I first visited the DLC, I liked what I saw. Yet, I was reluctant to enroll Jesse. Amy assured me that she and her small staff would work much more closely with my child. She further assured me that Jesse would be given every opportunity to do things for himself in order to increase his skills.
Jesse attended the DLC for the next 20 months. Upon graduation at 39 months he had accomplished all that I had hoped. Plus so much more than I ever could have expected.
When Jesse had his first psychological testing at 36 months his scores were so high that he barely qualified for special services. This is so remarkable because 17 months earlier he could not even crawl. He could not eat with a spoon or drink out of a cup. He never even uttered a word. But within his first weeks of attendance at DLC
Jesse was crawling, eating with utensils and using sign language to communicate his needs. I know that he never would have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time if I had not enrolled him at the DLC.
It is important to know that Jesse is not mildly challenged. It takes a great deal of patience to teach him any given task. He requires motivation, praise, and constant correction.
Today Jesse has a very promising future. He struggles academically, but he does read, write, and count. With these skills he is well on his way.
I feel so blessed that Jesse had the opportunity to attend the DLC Nurse & Learn. I know that without the hard work and financial gifts this would not have been possible. I know that so many other children need this type of program to succeed. My own
financial gifts are very tiny. Therefore, I feel responsible to help pay the price with my own hard work as a member of the DLC board.

Donna Pondozzi
Parent of a special needs child

Robbie & Evan are 2 year old twins with cerebral palsy. They also have a new baby sister, so mom has her hands full. The boys will be 3 in November and will be placed in a public school pre-k class for special needs children.

When mom called she was desperately looking for a place that would prepare them for school and we were her last hope. She admitted that she couldn’t afford to pay and the Early Intervention Program only pays for 1 hour a week of special education services for each boy.

Thanks to United Way, we could offer her a full scholarship for the boys to attend our program 9am-3pm, Monday through Friday. Within 2 weeks the boys were showing improvements. Robbie didn’t know how to play with toys or pay attention to activities. He began sitting at the table to do puzzles and color. Evan had never stood before. He has poor head control and can’t sit without support. After regular exercises and daily opportunities to stand he is able to push up into a standing position for several minutes and has even taken steps. Each day the boys learn something new at DLC.

Robbie & Evan are 2 year old twins with cerebral palsy. They also have a new baby sister, so mom has her hands full. The boys will be 3 in November and will be placed in a public school pre-k class for special needs children.

When mom called she was desperately looking for a place that would prepare them for school and we were her last hope. She admitted that she couldn’t afford to pay and the Early Intervention Program only pays for 1 hour a week of special education services for each boy.

Thanks to United Way, we could offer her a full scholarship for the boys to attend our program 9am-3pm, Monday through Friday. Within 2 weeks the boys were showing improvements. Robbie didn’t know how to play with toys or pay attention to activities. He began sitting at the table to do puzzles and color. Evan had never stood before. He has poor head control and can’t sit without support. After regular exercises and daily opportunities to stand he is able to push up into a standing position for several minutes and has even taken steps. Each day the boys learn something new at DLC.

Brandon C. is a twin born prematurely. He and his sister, Brandi started at DLC three years ago. Brandi had speech delays but caught up quickly and now attends Murray Hill Preschool. Brandon was not as fortunate. He has severe spastic cerebral palsy, he can’t walk or even sit up on his own. However, Brandon always seemed so intelligent and the sounds he made sounded like words every once in a while. We encouraged his speech and suddenly he is talking at the age of four years. He can answer Yes or No to questions and tell you how old he is and he is even saying three or four word sentences. It is so exciting to hear his sweet little voice telling us all the thoughts that have been bottled up in his head for so long. Way to go, Brandon!!

Brandon C. is a twin born prematurely. He and his sister, Brandi started at DLC three years ago. Brandi had speech delays but caught up quickly and now attends Murray Hill Preschool. Brandon was not as fortunate. He has severe spastic cerebral palsy, he can’t walk or even sit up on his own. However, Brandon always seemed so intelligent and the sounds he made sounded like words every once in a while. We encouraged his speech and suddenly he is talking at the age of four years. He can answer Yes or No to questions and tell you how old he is and he is even saying three or four word sentences. It is so exciting to hear his sweet little voice telling us all the thoughts that have been bottled up in his head for so long. Way to go, Brandon!!