Written by Dawn McCoy
As a parent of a Traumatic Brain Injury survivor, you never feel like you’re doing enough no matter how much you may be doing.
You always want to give your child every possible chance for the miraculous healing we all pray and wish for—and for their own personal success on their terms and timetable.
But as a solo, working parent of a TBI survivor living on one income, I have learned that I have to ask for help from time to time, as hard as it is for me to do. I mean, someone has to open the door for those miracles to come through.
Waylon and his mother Dawn take a sub-dipped selfie.
When Waylon was accepted into the NAPA Intensive Program, an intensive—and expensive—4-hour-a-day, 3-week program, I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it work for us and our budget.
I asked Eric, founder of Holton’s Heroes, what his opinion was of the program and if it was worth it. Without a beat, Eric offered to help us make it happen.
This is who Eric is and what Holton’s Heroes does—and it is why I am SO proud to not only serve on the Board of Directors, but have my child be a beneficiary of the organization, as well.
So did NAPA work for Waylon?
A resounding YES!
At our NAPA Center intensive, made possible by Holton’s Heroes, incredible therapists disguised as cheerleaders rooted for my kid four hours a day, five days a week, showing Way that it’s not just his spirited mama always cheering him on.
The experience feels like a lot of work, but also like the sweetest camp you could imagine. Every day there is one hour or Occupational therapy, one hour of Physical therapy and an hour for feeding and speech therapy. Additionally, there is another 30 minutes of a very challenging therapy called Dynamic Movement Intervention, also known as DMI, which began teaching Way how to rely on his instincts and body, rather than his brain.
It was a lot to take in and there weren’t many breaks. There were times as we pushed through the hard days that I couldn’t wait for it to be over, but then when it ended, I cried wishing it would continue.
The big takeaway is how it made us FEEL.
I could see immediately how it made Waylon feel more empowered and how that empowerment grew daily.
I saw him become more trusting of himself and have more faith in his abilities and potential. But more than the grand strides he made were the small supportive ways he was motivated.
Hearing his nickname used by his therapists - “You got this, Way! Come on Way-Way!” - made me smile with pride every single time.
And, it made him smile, too.
Waylon, with the help of his therapists, uses an adaptive treadmill along with a specialized nuerosuit to help him learn how to balance and walk.
Both the vocal and physical cheering from his therapists when he would do his famous “happy dance” in between exercises made my heart flip-flop. One of his PTs said the song I sing to accompany his “happy dance” had become the theme song of NAPA. I love that. It certainly is ours, as I sing it to him every evening, so to hear it used in his therapies felt like a warm hug and hot bath all in one.
NAPA also taught his mama a lot.
Since he was hurt as a newborn, I hate to see Waylon in any kind of discomfort at all.
It pains my whole body in a visceral way I can’t begin to describe.
NAPA taught me that to help Waylon reach his developmental goals more quickly, I’m going to HAVE to push him, even when every fiber of my being wants to do just the opposite, with this mama-heart of mine, and pick him up and snuggle him instead.
Just like it did with Waylon, NAPA gave me the strength and confidence to push through the pain and discomfort. It also showed me that as many therapies as we are in, Waylon is craving and able to handle even more stimulation.
While I saw improvements in his gross and fine motor skills, what delighted me most was that I saw Way gain the will to try as he exuded confidence in himself.
It was hard. God it was hard. They don’t call it an INTENSive for nothin’. But Waylon seemed to realize, “Yeah, it’s hard but I can do this. All of this! I now know that trying all these new-to-me things is an option.”
That’s what Holton’s Heroes gave us by helping us make this 3-week intensive therapy possible.
The hope.
The will.
The steps.
The falls.
The try.
They gave us the possibility of what the future holds. And I can’t wait to see what it brings for my beautiful boy.
That’s what our NAPA therapists did for us.
And I hope that my sweet boy did something for them, too.
I like to think that he left his indelible mark on their souls, helped them memorize words to his favorite Ronnie Milsap song and taught them to break up all that God-blessed work they do with a little “woo-hoo-woo-hoo-woo-hoo” happy dance every now and again.
If Waylon is a miracle, Holton’s Heroes is not only an unparalleled resource in the post-birth pediatric traumatic brain injury world, but a stable of miracle workers who made a miracle happen for us by giving us the gift of NAPA.
Thank you, Eric & our HH family.
Make sure to visit us on Instagram to see Waylon in action!
We are only able to continue to help amazing kids like Waylon with your support, so please consider donating directly to our foundation today here.
“Thank you so much for the gift of NAPA. Day 1 blew us away!”
Check out some of our other heroes from 2021
“Tonight, we feel the power of humanity in a bath chair. Go figure. Some people feel excited about cars and other luxuries, but here I am just wanting my boy to be bathed safely,” Joshua mom wrote to us after her son received his gift from Holton’s Heroes.