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Meet Jayden.
He loves swimming, coloring, playing with cars of all sizes, listening to music and going fishing with his dad, uncles and K-Pop. He also loves to play hide and seek with his Mom-O, going to the zoo, and playing iPad with his Grandma and swinging with his Papa. You know- things that every 5 year old loves to do.
But he can't walk.
September 14, 2009: It seemed like any other day. It was Josh & Sarah's first baby, and the whole family couldn't wait to meet him. Sarah hadn't felt the baby kick recently, so she wanted to check and make sure there was nothing to worry about. So they went to the doctor. With in an hour, Sarah was in a hospital bed being prepped for an emergency C-Section. She was scared. What was going on? Fighting back tears, trying to smile for the typical "were having a baby today" pictures, she couldn't help but think "It's too early." It was too early- almost 2 1/2 months too early.
Within hours of showing up for a doctors appointment, Jayden Glenn was born. He was 2lbs 13oz, and only 15.5 inches long in a hospital that was unprepared for a premature baby. Josh and Sarah had to watch as the doctor walked away with their little boy. They didn't even get to hold him. Jayden was immediately driven via ambulance from Cheyenne Wyoming to Children's Hospital in Denver (a 2 hour trip), where they had the specialized equipment and doctors necessary to save his life. Josh only got to hold his hand for a few minutes as they were attaching wires and tubes everywhere.
Can you imagine your brand new baby having to be driven to another state in order to have a chance at life? What if you had to watch him be loaded into an ambulance with a tube down his throat and wires everywhere, with the words "he probably won't make it" echoing through your head as they close the doors and drove away? He almost didn't. Jayden had to be revived twice on the way to Denver. Hours seemed like years as Josh and Sarah waited just to hear if he made it- if he was still alive.
He did. By the grace of God, Jayden made it to Denver, where his grandparents waited at the hospital doors.
Almost a week later, Josh and Sarah finally got to hold their baby.
He was so tiny.
Jayden spent the first 2 1/2 months of his life in the NICU at Children's Hospital on oxygen, undergoing test after test. His dad spent the night on the couch in his room every night.
He overcame so many odds and probabilities that the doctors couldn't have predicted, like coming off oxygen sooner than expected. He is a fighter! He continued to grow and get stronger by the day until he could finally go home, which happened to be his original due date.
But before they left the hospital, Josh and Sarah got more bad news. In an effort to keep his vital organs alive during the stress of his premature birth, Jayden's brain had developed dead spots. According to his doctors, Jayden had Cerebral Palsy.
Cerabral Palsy is a disorder that is caused by abnormal development or damage to the brain during pregnancy, birth or just after birth. These parts of the brain are usually the ones that control movement, balance and posture. Often times, kids with CP can not roll over, crawl, stand by themselves, or walk. Therapy and surgeries have been known to help kids develop the movement and cognitive skills they need to make the dream of walking a reality.
Which brings us back to Jayden. Coming up on 6 years old, Jayden has been through numerous surgeries, and countless hours of therapy to help him develop.
He is such a big strong boy, and wants nothing more than to be able to crawl, walk and run with his little brother and sister. But it is going to take many more years and thousands of dollars of therapy to get him even close to being independant. At this point, Jayden would give anything to be able to move by himself. He can't do anything without his parents being there to carry him or push his wheelchair over to what he wants to look at.
Can you imagine hearing your child say "I just want to walk" or "I'm sorry you have to carry me everywhere"?
There is still hope.
His therapy is working- he gets stronger every day! Though his most recent surgery was unsuccessful, we still believe that this boy will walk and be independant. But his family needs your help. On a single military income, Josh and Sarah have no way to pay for what Jayden needs. Since he was born, they have been stashing every extra cent into a savings account for him. Instead of family vacations or new toys, they save for Jaydens therapy.
We know that $20,000 is a lot of money, so we wanted to make sure you all knew what the money will be going to.
The next step is to get Jayden a new powered wheel chair: one that he can drive by himself ($2500). Along with that, there will have to be some changes made to his house that let him get through door ways and over steps ($5000). Their family car will have to be customized to be able to get his chair in and secure ($5000- if not a new car). He will also need thousands of hours of therapy ($1600-$2000 per month) and new leg braces ($500 every year) to stretch and strengthen his muscles: therapy that his parents' health insurance will not cover.
Would you please consider helping Jayden and his family? Help him learn to walk. Help him gain the independance every 6 year old boy should have. If you can not help financially, we would greatly appreciate your prayers for his therapy to be successful and that God would provide what is necessary for us to reach our goal and help Jayden learn to walk and be independant.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are humbled by your generosity.
Jayden's Family
He loves swimming, coloring, playing with cars of all sizes, listening to music and going fishing with his dad, uncles and K-Pop. He also loves to play hide and seek with his Mom-O, going to the zoo, and playing iPad with his Grandma and swinging with his Papa. You know- things that every 5 year old loves to do.
But he can't walk.
September 14, 2009: It seemed like any other day. It was Josh & Sarah's first baby, and the whole family couldn't wait to meet him. Sarah hadn't felt the baby kick recently, so she wanted to check and make sure there was nothing to worry about. So they went to the doctor. With in an hour, Sarah was in a hospital bed being prepped for an emergency C-Section. She was scared. What was going on? Fighting back tears, trying to smile for the typical "were having a baby today" pictures, she couldn't help but think "It's too early." It was too early- almost 2 1/2 months too early.
Within hours of showing up for a doctors appointment, Jayden Glenn was born. He was 2lbs 13oz, and only 15.5 inches long in a hospital that was unprepared for a premature baby. Josh and Sarah had to watch as the doctor walked away with their little boy. They didn't even get to hold him. Jayden was immediately driven via ambulance from Cheyenne Wyoming to Children's Hospital in Denver (a 2 hour trip), where they had the specialized equipment and doctors necessary to save his life. Josh only got to hold his hand for a few minutes as they were attaching wires and tubes everywhere.
Can you imagine your brand new baby having to be driven to another state in order to have a chance at life? What if you had to watch him be loaded into an ambulance with a tube down his throat and wires everywhere, with the words "he probably won't make it" echoing through your head as they close the doors and drove away? He almost didn't. Jayden had to be revived twice on the way to Denver. Hours seemed like years as Josh and Sarah waited just to hear if he made it- if he was still alive.
He did. By the grace of God, Jayden made it to Denver, where his grandparents waited at the hospital doors.
Almost a week later, Josh and Sarah finally got to hold their baby.
He was so tiny.
Jayden spent the first 2 1/2 months of his life in the NICU at Children's Hospital on oxygen, undergoing test after test. His dad spent the night on the couch in his room every night.
He overcame so many odds and probabilities that the doctors couldn't have predicted, like coming off oxygen sooner than expected. He is a fighter! He continued to grow and get stronger by the day until he could finally go home, which happened to be his original due date.
But before they left the hospital, Josh and Sarah got more bad news. In an effort to keep his vital organs alive during the stress of his premature birth, Jayden's brain had developed dead spots. According to his doctors, Jayden had Cerebral Palsy.
Cerabral Palsy is a disorder that is caused by abnormal development or damage to the brain during pregnancy, birth or just after birth. These parts of the brain are usually the ones that control movement, balance and posture. Often times, kids with CP can not roll over, crawl, stand by themselves, or walk. Therapy and surgeries have been known to help kids develop the movement and cognitive skills they need to make the dream of walking a reality.
Which brings us back to Jayden. Coming up on 6 years old, Jayden has been through numerous surgeries, and countless hours of therapy to help him develop.
He is such a big strong boy, and wants nothing more than to be able to crawl, walk and run with his little brother and sister. But it is going to take many more years and thousands of dollars of therapy to get him even close to being independant. At this point, Jayden would give anything to be able to move by himself. He can't do anything without his parents being there to carry him or push his wheelchair over to what he wants to look at.
Can you imagine hearing your child say "I just want to walk" or "I'm sorry you have to carry me everywhere"?
There is still hope.
His therapy is working- he gets stronger every day! Though his most recent surgery was unsuccessful, we still believe that this boy will walk and be independant. But his family needs your help. On a single military income, Josh and Sarah have no way to pay for what Jayden needs. Since he was born, they have been stashing every extra cent into a savings account for him. Instead of family vacations or new toys, they save for Jaydens therapy.
We know that $20,000 is a lot of money, so we wanted to make sure you all knew what the money will be going to.
The next step is to get Jayden a new powered wheel chair: one that he can drive by himself ($2500). Along with that, there will have to be some changes made to his house that let him get through door ways and over steps ($5000). Their family car will have to be customized to be able to get his chair in and secure ($5000- if not a new car). He will also need thousands of hours of therapy ($1600-$2000 per month) and new leg braces ($500 every year) to stretch and strengthen his muscles: therapy that his parents' health insurance will not cover.
Would you please consider helping Jayden and his family? Help him learn to walk. Help him gain the independance every 6 year old boy should have. If you can not help financially, we would greatly appreciate your prayers for his therapy to be successful and that God would provide what is necessary for us to reach our goal and help Jayden learn to walk and be independant.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are humbled by your generosity.
Jayden's Family
Organizer and beneficiary
Josh Thornton
Beneficiary