We are the Kinder Family and we have an incredible 2.5 year old son, Jack! Jack was born with a brain disorder, Lissencephaly, which was the result of a random faulty gene. Lissencephaly means his brain is smooth and lacks the bumpy gyri. With the diagnosis of Lissencephaly comes many other diagnoses for Jack, including epilepsy, cortical vision impairment, cerebral palsy, non-verbal, difficulty swallowing and he is g-tube dependent.

In 2022, with the financial help of others, we were able to send him to an intensive therapy program in Denver, NAPA Center , where he worked hard 4 hours a day for 3 weeks straight! Learning physical, occupational and speech therapy skills. NAPA focuses on a specific therapy technique called DMI (Dynamic Movement Intervention) and is one of the few locations who offer it. The goal of DMI is to facilitate the brain in forming new neuronal pathways, neuroplasticity. As a family, we noticed major improvements in Jacks stamina, head control, communication, core strength and his confidence. Jack LOVES to move and be upright!

Unfortunately, his insurance does not cover this and each 3 week session costs ~$9,000, not including food/lodging and our loss of income while we relocate our family temporarily. We are asking for donations to help us make this therapy a reality for Jack again! We plan to go back in 2024 and as frequently as we can!

Recently, a company near us started offering DMI therapy and we have started in-home therapy with them, also not covered by his insurance. We will use some funds raised to help cover these sessions for him also which will help maintain his strength and skills in between intensive therapies with NAPA.

Eventually, our goal as a family, will be to raise funds to keep Jack going to intensives and also pass along the support to other kiddos affected by Lissencephaly by offering equipment and financial grants. We are in the early stages of starting a non-profit to facilitate these goals!

Please visit my Instagram or Facebook page to learn more about Jack’s diagnosis, journey and all of the cool things he has learned!

Some Kinder Wonderful