“Aria is a wonderful child and a lover of all animals. She was diagnosed with Potocki-Lupski syndrome (PTLS), a rare genetic disorder that only affects 1 in 25,000 people worldwide. PTLS is caused by a duplication of a small segment of chromosome 17, and can lead to a variety of developmental, cognitive, and physical issues.

We knew Aria would need to learn how to grow stronger in many areas–in her articulation and vocalization, her ability to perform tasks, and her stability. Equine-assisted therapy was a perfect fit for Aria, and will give her the strength she needs to accomplish these goals.

Aria began her therapy a little over five years ago, and the changes I've seen are quite widespread. By improving her speech capabilities, therapy has positively impacted her ability to hold conversations with others outside of our family. It has also noticeably improved her balance and stability, along with her strength and dexterity–it’s given her the freedom to play and be a child!

Most importantly, therapy gave her an opportunity to make new friends, the confidence to see that her disability does not limit her ability to learn new things, and the strength to never stop trying.”

"Austin’s smile is simply contagious–what joy he has and has given to us! As a sensory seeker, Austin loves being outside where he can run, jump, and swing. As a Florida native, Austin always loved the feel of the water and sand, but he quickly acclimated to Michigan and always looks forward to that first big, magical snow!  

While our goal has always been for Austin to attend kindergarten and enjoy learning as a student in a classroom setting, his biggest challenges have been communication, safety, social play, and feeding. These issues needed to be addressed before he could take that first big kindergarten step.

Austin is non-speaking and uses an iPad–his “talker"– to communicate. While it can be frustrating for Austin when we don't understand what he’s communicating, we are thankful his therapists are teaching us how to help him cope and regulate when things are tough. We'll be able to share these invaluable strategies with his teachers.

Having Austin around other children in a safe setting provides a valuable opportunity to pave the way for kindergarten. His therapists help prepare him so he understands what is safe, will be able to anticipate what his daily schedule might look like, and how to interact with the friends he may be spending his days with.

As a sensory avoider, Austin also has major challenges with food–in fact, he only eats three different foods everyday! This has been a major focus in his occupational therapy as he learns how to tolerate new foods. This can be really hard, but he is up for the challenge every single day. 

All of Austin’s therapists collaborated, listened and validated our goals for Austin, and gave him the exact care he needed to meet those objectives–he is learning the value of hard work.  

Austin is such a smart and determined little boy. After a lot of dedication and perseverance, not only did he start kindergarten this fall, he is learning to trace the letters of his name. This is PRICELESS! 

Therapy gave Austin, and our family, the tools and confidence to tackle kindergarten this year, and he is thriving. We finally feel like we have found a ‘home’ for Austin with his therapists–one where he can be himself and grow!"

"Eloy is a good-natured young man with a fantastic sense of humor! He is a true lover of life, as you can see from his beaming smile–he enjoys interacting with others, long car rides, biking, swimming, and listening to music. He’s not about to let anything get him down!

Eloy was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy, which is characterized by stiff and tight muscles, causing difficulty with movement and coordination. Eloy was experiencing significant muscle tension and discomfort, often leading to anxiety and difficulty sleeping. It made for some hard days and nights.

As a single mom, receiving a therapy scholarship for Eloy was an incredible gift. He has complex medical issues and I work full-time, so financial hardship is a constant struggle. Therapy offered an opportunity for Eloy to receive regular, professional therapy, giving him a healthier and happier life. It was an opportunity we did not want him to miss!

Since starting therapy, we have witnessed remarkable improvements! He is more relaxed, sleeps better, and his overall mood has brightened considerably. 

This has had a profound and positive impact on Eloy’s well-being and our whole family’s quality of life."

“Mateo is a joyful three-year-old who quickly makes friends with everyone he meets! He loves to approach people and show friends the things he enjoys—he always includes others. He especially loves his big brother, Isaac. Truly, Mateo is a delight in every way! 

Mateo communicates with hand gestures and by leading his friends along. He was diagnosed with apraxia of speech, and despite knowing what he wants to say, apraxia makes it challenging for Meteo to produce speech accurately and consistently. There are a lot of additional challenges that come with his diagnosis.

Speech therapy is essential to Mateo’s ability to communicate. Although he can’t fully communicate verbally yet, therapy is helping Mateo overcome his speech delays and helping him build his vocabulary. He’s also learning how to move the muscles in his mouth and create sounds purposefully. He’s making progress! We can see Mateo's endless possibilities, and it fills us with hope! 

Therapy made so many of Mateo’s goals possible. Before starting therapy, he couldn’t say any words, and he didn’t have any variation in his sounds.  It’s exciting to see how far Mateo has come this past year. Through hard work, he can make more sounds and is starting to say words. We love hearing him say ‘Mama’ and ‘Dada.’ He can now even say his name–this is such a big win for Mateo! We know this is just the beginning, and we can see so many possibilities ahead for Mateo.

Being able to communicate and be understood is such a crucial part of being human, and we want to make every accessible tool possible to Mateo. We know he has a lot of hard work ahead, but we look forward to the journey and the endless possibilities for Mateo!

We want to give Mateo all the tools he needs to communicate—this is so important to us, even though it is financially challenging. His therapy wasn't anticipated or budgeted, and this first year has been a financial shock. But we’ll work to adjust our budget to accommodate Mateo’s needs.

When we received a scholarship for therapy, it was such a gift; it was a wonderful help in easing our weekly expenses. It gave us some room to breathe.

Meteo may not be able to make sounds and words consistent with his peers, but when we hear his voice, it is the most amazing sound to us. This is the gift that a scholarship from Family Hope Foundation gives to a family. I hope every donor knows the impact they can have on the lives of these kiddos and their families. 

This scholarship allows our sweet boy to continue with therapy and expand his language skills. Knowing that the community is rooting for us and understands our needs means the world to our family. We are optimistic and see the possibilities in Mateo’s future. We can’t wait to check in and share some of his wins!”

The name Vivian means “full of life,” and it’s clear by her infectious smile and vibrant personality that she has the power to change the world!

Vivian was born with a form of epilepsy and cerebral palsy, and has been diagnosed with autism. Therapy has been a part of her life since she was a newborn–therapy will always be a part of her life so she can continue to grow strong.

We don’t yet know what the future holds, but we will give Vivian every opportunity for her to feel independent and powerful. Just look at what she’s accomplished so far!

Here a few of Vivian’s big wins:

• Being tube-fed, we cheered her on after she ate an entire packet of puree. This is a big deal!
• Being non-speaking, we sat in amazement as we watched her navigate an eye-gaze device, giving her the power to communicate with others.
• With the use of assistive devices, she has learned to strengthen specific muscles for rolling and sitting, giving her the independence to move around.
• She is now able to sit on a chair by herself and walk with a walker assisted by her therapist, allowing her to explore the world in a whole new way.
• She can now maintain a grasp on an object, such as a paintbrush, giving her the ability to be creative. Just check out the artwork of this budding artist below! 

At the tender age of two, Vivian has reached more “inchstones" than we ever thought possible. We are so proud of Vivian every single day!

Due to Vivian’s medical complexities, I’ve become a full-time caregiver, no longer able to work outside the home, which has drastically affected our income.

Vivian’s scholarship has made it financially possible for her to consistently attend specialized therapy, which she looks forward to every month. It’s opening a powerful new world for her!

“Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager with spina bifida has its share of unique challenges. When Gramm was little, it was exciting to see his independence and skills grow . . . to take those first few steps, to use a walker, to walk with single pole canes. Now, as a growing teenager, the “gains” aren’t quite so visible, but the intensive physical therapy he receives is even MORE valuable.

As Gramm grows taller and heavier, his body is constantly “relearning” how to balance and walk. We work hard at physical therapy to keep his level of strength greater than what he currently needs so that when his growth spurt hits, his abilities don’t change and independence isn’t lost.

As a teen, Gramm is still walking with single pole canes. A blessing to be sure, and one Family Hope Foundation has had a hand in creating. Thank you for the scholarship that allows us to continue Gramm’s hard work at 1+1 Therapy, keeping Gramm as independent and healthy as possible.

Thank you for sticking with us through these trying teenage years!”

“Thank you will never do justice to express our sincere gratitude for blessing James with this scholarship. We wanted to use the scholarship to enable James to learn sign language so he has a way to communicate once he loses his hearing. It is important to equip my son for his future. I never want his world to feel so shaken or challenging that he doesn’t have a means to communicate or to have a voice. With his hearing loss, even with the use of hearing aids, there will be so many environments where they will not help.

We don’t want James left in the quiet and confusion, unable to communicate with anyone, even mom and dad. Learning sign language as our family’s second language, we can always be there to communicate with him.

We will forever be grateful for this gift, and we hope that with a new way of communication, we will also be able to give back in the future within the deaf and special needs communities.

Without this scholarship, we would not be able to afford the therapy to learn sign language. We would be left with the alternative: quiet, confusion, and a shaken world for James. This scholarship is giving our child and family the ability to communicate. That is why ‘thank you’ will never be sufficient.“