When Alyson gave birth to her son, Parker, doctors immediately knew that something was wrong. After Parker was quickly taken to the NICU, Alyson and her husband, Sean, learned just how sick their baby was. They began to prepare for the worst-case scenario. At only 6 days old, Parker had his first open heart surgery. Less than two months later, exploratory blood work showed that his kidneys were failing and that his heart medications were toxifying in his system.
At 4:30 one morning, Alyson and her husband got the scariest phone call of their life – Parker was in cardiac arrest. Miraculously, Parker got stronger and stronger each day and after a lengthy hospital stay, he was able to go home but his parents were unsure of what the future would hold for their son. “We were told that there was no way to know what damage had been done, ” Alyson recalls of that difficult time. After hearing about The Bell Center from a past parent and current therapist of Parker’s, Alyson knew that this was something that would help her son thrive.
When Parker began at The Bell Center, Alyson was not sure what he would be able to achieve. But soon he began to reach milestones-albeit delayed, he was reaching them nonetheless. Parker crawled for the very first time at The Bell Center. ‘It was the best ever,” says Alyson of the moment they once thought would never come. “I had previously felt defeated by missed milestones, and the encouragement of The Bell Center helped me find the patience and strength to look forward. I realized that we are not alone in this journey.”
This year as you celebrate the holiday season, please consider making a donation to The Bell Center. Your support will enable The Bell Center to continue to provide crucial early intervention services to infants and toddlers with developmental delays like Parker – and provide loving support to their families.