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by Tali Toland

Choosing from among hundreds of entries to pick this issue’s Cover Kids was not an easy task, but the inspirational stories and spectacular smiles of these youngsters won us over.
 

Olivia Paige Fitzgerald
Age: 6, Dunwoody

Olivia’s loving personality and zest for life is definitely the first thing you notice about her. She loves to hug people, and she isn’t afraid of making new friends. An only child, Olivia keeps mom Jennifer on her toes. “I definitely don’t need my gym membership anymore,” she jokes, chasing after Olivia.

Olivia was born with Down syndrome and needs a patient, hands-on, one-on-one learning environment. “She is very capable of learning and applying what she learns, it just takes her a little longer to do so,” says Jennifer. Currently, Olivia attends speech and occupational therapies that are provided a few hours each week at Kingsley Charter Elementary School where she is in kindergarten. Olivia goes to the Elaine Clarke Developmental Center for her after-school care.

Other than her time at school, Olivia is with her mom all the time. “As a single parent whose family lives out-of-state, finding additional resources and caretakers for Olivia is a challenge,” says Jennifer.

“I have been blessed that Olivia did not have many of the medical problems that typically come along with Down syndrome,” says Jennifer. “When she was born, I was told that Olivia would probably never talk, walk or be able to learn, so she has more than exceeded everyone’s expectations and given me so much joy and hope, not just for Olivia, but for all children with special needs. Her happiness picks me up on days that I am down.”
 

Carson Bright
Age: 2, Cumming

His bright, smiling blue eyes don’t show a hint of the pain little Carson has been through so far in his young life. He’s already had 12 surgeries and countless other procedures to help improve his spina bifida. The birth defect is the most common one in the United States, though its effects vary by case.

Carson was born with an L4-L5 defect, but functionally he’s an L2-L3. “He doesn’t have any feeling below his waist,” explains mom Ashlee. “And he doesn’t have control over his bladder or bowels.” Ashlee stays home with Carson when he isn’t at Challenged Child & Friends for preschool. He has to be catheterized every four hours, so it’s important that Ashlee can provide constant care for him.

“Despite everything, he’s really a low-maintenance child,” says Ashlee. “He’s so patient, calm and sweet. I’m really blessed to have such a well-behaved, happy child, regardless of the circumstances.”

Carson loves trucks, trains and balls – all the typical boy stuff. “He also loves music,” says Ashlee. “He does music therapy and absolutely loves it!” Carson also participates in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy through Babies Can’t Wait, and sees one of his eight medical specialists about once a month.

Carson’s future looks bright; his Chiari decompression and cord detethering surgeries have made a huge difference in his physical abilities. “I hope someday he’ll be a somewhat functional walker and that he is part of the 80 percent of spina bifida cases that don’t have mental development issues,” says Ashlee. “I just want him to be able to be active and happy.”
 

Capers Leon Green Jr.
Age: 3, Ellenwood

The moment he enters a room, it lights up – Capers’ smile extends from ear to ear and is quite contagious. And even at his young age, he is quite the flirt. “He’s definitely the quarterback,” jokes his dad, Capers Sr., noting his strong throwing arm and charming personality.

Capers (aka Little Cape) has spastic diplegia cerebral palsy due to loss of oxygen at birth, which causes both legs to be affected by the condition. Capers also struggles with dysarthria (a speech condition), cystic encephalomalacia (brain cysts from his injury at birth), sensory integration disorder, seizures and is developmentally delayed.

And still, “He is the happiest child I know,” says mom Kimberly. “He runs up to everyone who crosses his path and says ‘hey’ and demands a high-five.”

Capers is also very smart and sensitive. “He loves to give hugs and he knows how to make people laugh,” says Kimberly. Capers rarely uses his speech, which he works on twice a week with a therapist, but when he does, he knows he’ll get what he wants. “Last night, he came up to me right before dinner and said ‘cookie.’ I gave it to him, and he said ‘thank you’ with a smile,” Kimberly notes.

To help Capers make the most progress possible, he sees occupational and physical therapists once a week, and he sees an orthopedist, an ophthalmologist and a neurologist at least twice a year.

Kyle Benjamin Green is Capers’ younger brother, but at 17 months old he is already bigger than Capers. “It’s great for Capers to have a sibling because they motivate each other,” says Kimberly. He also gets stimulation at the Frazer Center, where he attends preschool and receives his therapies. “We’re lucky because my husband’s work schedule is staggered with mine, so one of us can usually be with the boys.”

“Every time I look at Capers, I think about my 1-day-old baby who was transported to Children’s Scottish Rite NICU for two weeks, hooked up to all these tubes, with the biggest brown eyes,” says Kimberly. Capers took his first step a week before his second birthday. Now he climbs up and down the stairs (to keep up with his little brother), he eats with a spoon and drinks out of a cup on his own. He can kick a soccer ball, jump high in the air, catch balls and make basketball shots. Kimberly is pleased with how far her son has come and looks forward to the future as he continues to grow and learn.

Kensington Hammons
Age: 3, Loganville

When Kensi first enters a room, you can see the sweetness in her face despite her shy demeanor. It’s pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), a form of autism, that causes Kensi’s communication and social difficulties. “She has severe sensory issues,” says mom Rhonda. “But she’s made a lot of progress since she was diagnosed at 24 months. Water is soothing to her senses, so baths are often a demand of Kensi’s.”

Older sister Cara is 10 and has been a great role model for Kensi. “Cara has made Kensi fall in love with Hannah Montana,” says Rhonda. “Kensi sings the Hannah Montana songs right along with the CDs. Her favorite is ‘The Other Side of Me.’ It’s very interesting that many of the words [If you could see the other side of me, I’m just like anybody else, can’t you tell I hold the keys to both realities] explain how people on the autism spectrum feel, like they have this inner side that they want to show the world, but can’t.”

Kensi’s favorite nightly routine is saying her prayers with Daddy before bed. “She repeats what he says and thanks God for each member of her family right down to her dogs and cat and her grandparents’ dogs,” says Rhonda. “I know it’s his favorite time of day as well.”

Kensi attends Walton County PEEP (Pre-school Exceptional Education Program) at Youth Elementary School in Loganville. “If she does well in this program, there is a good chance that Kensi could be mainstreamed by kindergarten with maybe just a little help from a paraprofessional,” says Rhonda. In addition to the PEEP program, Kensi participates in occupational and speech therapies once a week at home. “We’re very fortunate that I can stay home with Kensi and Cara [who is home schooled],” says Rhonda. “I can spend equal time with both girls now and fit in Kensi’s therapies, too.”

Kensi has had difficulty creating and maintaining friendships due to her autistic tendencies. “She has, however, recently made her first real friend, a boy named Trevor, who also has autism,” says Rhonda. “She also recently began hugging and kissing us again, which has been such a joy since we lost that for quite a while. The most precious gift is when she says ‘I love you, too’ – when we hear those words spontaneously from our child, whom we know has such difficulty communicating, our hearts almost burst. She has taught us so much, giving us a new view of love by sharing with us the beautiful world in which she lives.”