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Mary Helen loves the color pink. Born prematurely with brain lesions and diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, Mary Helen was never expected to walk, talk, or show emotion. But she was NOT going to be defined by her diagnosis. Today, she likes going fast, playing intricate games of make-believe, and giving memorable answers to nearly every question. Her smile lights up the room!
Her mom, Ana, says, “Mary Helen’s time at LifeScape has been a real blessing. The gait trainer she got here has changed her life. She shocked her therapists by running down the hallway the first time we put her in it. I have spent hours playing hide and seek with her in the clothing racks at department stores. Recently, we purchased a wheelchair for Mary Helen – pink, of course.”
“Mary Helen’s future is very bright,” her mother says, “in part because of the help our family receives from LifeScape. Like any parents, we want Mary Helen to lead a fulfilling life, to become someone who is respected and independent.”
Born at only twenty-seven weeks, Ivan was immediately given a tracheostomy. When he was stable, he was moved to LifeScape’s Children’s Specialty Hospital where he received complex, around- the-clock medical care. Ivan’s birth parents knew they couldn’t care for his needs. It was there that Ivan met Chris and Valerie, who were thrilled to bring him home and make him their son.
Ivan has made great progress in his forever home, and he continues to receive outpatient therapies at LifeScape, including feeding, speech, physical, and occupational therapy. His mom says, “Without the therapies, Ivan wouldn’t have made the progress he has. He is constantly achieving new goals, and that means the world to us.”
On those happy days when families come to our Children’s Specialty Hospital at LifeScape to bring their children home again, Patricia makes it hard for them to leave. Everyone who meets her becomes attached to her. They always exclaim, “Her smile just melts your heart!”
Born two months early and weighing just over two pounds, Patricia has spent almost her whole life in the hospital. She spent the first several months in intensive care, went home, and returned to the hospital with pneumonia, fighting for her life. The surgeons performed a tracheostomy to help her breathe.
Patricia is truly thriving, achieving many milestones, thanks to the care provided by LifeScape. She receives physical therapy, speech therapy, nursing care, education, and regular physician visits. She is even starting to talk, which is amazing with a trach tube, and she is very mobile! As soon as she can breathe on her own at night, she will be able to return home. In the meantime, her parents visit Patricia as often as they can, much comforted by the excellent care their toddler is receiving.
When doctors saw little hope for Kaymbria to lead an independent, fulfilling life, LifeScape introduced a journey of hope. Three weeks after her brain injury, Kaymbria was admitted to LifeScape Specialty Hospital when she was not yet four months old. Doctors didn’t hold out much hope for her ability to progress, but Lifescape therapists were committed to helping this little girl thrive. She now walks, runs, jumps, loves, and has even started talking! She is a miracle, and she continues to make strides.
The plan was to get her strong enough to go home to a loving foster family. This is where Brittany Lux comes in. A nurse at LifeScape, Brittany had just completed training to become a foster parent. “Taking a baby home with a disability was terrifying,” says Brittany, “but when we started outpatient services at LifeScape was when I really saw the potential – and that no one was quitting on her.”
I want the world to know that Kaymbria is not a diagnosis, she’s not a specific disability, she’s not a certain number, and she’s not a certain functioning level. She’s a human, a little girl who loves things that other little girls love. She can be difficult at times, but as people get to know her, she changes them. Teaching them how to love and how to hope. Kaymbria’s a little girl right now, but she will be a teenager and then an adult. I expect her to have a job, to be a functioning member of society.
His name means “little fighter,” and that’s been his style from the beginning. Diagnosed before birth with heart defects and with intestines formed outside of his body, Kaden was expected to die before birth. But he has proved the doctors wrong at every turn.
Kaden had many surgeries and spent over a year in hospitals before coming to LifeScape’s Specialty Hospital for rehab care. At LifeScape, Kaden got intensive medical therapies to gain strength and skills, and he was fitted with a wheelchair system that would grow with him. LifeScape’s ventilator-weaning program helped him learn to breathe without the ventilator, and now he is running and playing with his classmates. He’s beating all the odds!
Doctors told Aubrey Byrne that her child would be stillborn, but Colton was born very much alive. Aubrey describes how her son appeared at his first medical visits. “He was like a lump of coal. He did nothing. He couldn’t sit on his own. He didn’t take anything by mouth. He could barely life his arms above his head. He didn’t know his legs existed.” Born with a congenital heart defect, spinal cord abnormalities, and bronchial problems, Colton underwent his first surgery when only a few days old. The doctors told the family that Colton might never walk because of his tethered spinal cord and hip issues, or talk and eat by mouth because of his trach. He could be 100% dependent upon somebody his entire life.
However, Aubrey says the LifeScape team assured them by saying her son is going to eat and is going to walk. “After his back surgery, there were therapists in his room every single day. After three months of living at LifeScape, Colton want to stand. You could see him trying to figure it out. They worked with him for countless hours,” says Aubrey.
“I watched the LifeScape staff doing absolutely everything they could to help Colton progress. It didn’t feel like rehab, Colton was not a burden to them. It was always: ‘Your baby is our baby. We’ll take care of him just as you would.'”
Struggling with behaviors at home and school, Jordan came to LifeScape at the age of 8. He wasn’t potty-trained and sought attention in inappropriate ways. Being told no was a major trigger for him. He needs a fairly strict routine, so his staff, as well as his family, work hard to provide that. Having made tremendous progress in his years with LifeScape, Jordan is preparing now to transition into adult services.
Jordan’s mother, Lori Coffman, says: “Jordan has learned to communicate very well with people. A lot of his growth has resulted from acting at LifeScape’s Center for the Arts. He has participated in five plays, including playing the role of the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz! It was amazing. My daughter and I just sat there and cried. Acting has boosted his confidence in himself. It also made him accountable. LifeScape is family for us.”
Children in LifeScape’s programs always fare better with good family support, but what if there is no family in the picture? Phoenyx came to LifeScape’s residential program at age two after a traumatic breain injury. Emily Bartscher, a special education teacher from Harrisburg got to know Phoenyx and adopted her. Now Phoenyx is thriving and continues to receive occupational, speech, and physical therapy from LifeScape. Emily says. “Phoenyx is motivated to work at therapy because she has a relationship with the therapists. She loves everything they throw at her. Nobody is giving up on Phoenyx.”
Sarah Sprock believes that it takes a village to raise a child, especially a child with disabilities. LifeScape is that village for the family. Brandon had a reaction to his pertussis vaccine when he was two months old, causing encephalopathy. This is something that happens in only a few children out of hundreds of thousands. That day forever changed their lives and put them on the path that brought them to LifeScape, where Brandon had been since 2006. In addition to encephalopathy, Brandon has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and a developmental disorder. His mom said that before coming to LifeScape, Brandon was starting to withdraw from everything and wasn’t happy; LifeScape changed that. He has relationships and friendships at LifeScape, and he is happy.
Sara Sprock speaks of the journey, “The first thing we learned is that we couldn’t do it on our own. We needed LifeScape. So many times I’ve called, and when I do, I learned that whomever I called would do everything in their power to help Brandon. I want people to know that Brandon is a beautiful and smart individual. He has so much to offer if you only give him the time. I’m very proud of him.”
Before age three, Christian was not developing normally. He was diagnosed with autism at seven years old. He had difficulty expressing emotion and coping with sensory stressors. His behavior deteriorated during puberty, becoming aggressive – hitting, kicking, throwing things – but right after, he knew what he’d done and would break down in remorse.
When his episodes worsened to the point his mother could no longer care for him on her own, Christian came to LifeScape. Although far from his Rapid City home, LifeScape in Sioux Falls was the only place Christian could receive comprehensive education, therapy, and residential services.
LifeScape has helped Christian learn to cope by giving him a safe and friendly place to live. He has goals now. He is kind-hearted and dreams of becoming a police officer someday. In a year at LifeScape, Christian has made great strides. His mom, Kari, shared that the two of them went for a hike in the Black Hills recently. She said, “This hike I will remember forever. My son and I walked alongside each other. We talked, we joked, we laughed. When we made it to the top, I realized that this hike represented Christian’s great progress. We own his success to the amazing team at LifeScape. LifeScape has given me back my son. I will forever be grateful.”
