Please help us make a difference in the lives of children like Jackson and his family who feel fortunate to have found the nurturing care PACT provides...
Jackson
For the first several weeks of his life, Jackson seemed to be a typical baby doing what most babies do at that age. But at age three-months that all changed. Jackson started having seizures. His father and mother were devastated emotionally as they watched their beautiful son lose the skills he had developed early in his young life; he even lost his ability to smile.
With new medications and treatment, the frequency and intensity of Jackson’s seizures diminished, but his parents knew that it was unlikely he would ever have the ability to do some of the things that they had envisioned him doing - tossing a football with his dad or going into the medical field like both of his parents. Michelle, Jackson’s mother, related her first encounter with a social worker who was helping the family adjust to having a child with special needs. "She asked my husband Robert and me to write down individually what our goals were for our son. Amazingly enough, we both identified the same thing as our number one goal: We wanted to see Jackson smile again."
Life goes on, regardless of whether you have a child with special needs or not. Michelle needed to return to work and the family needed to find childcare for Jackson. They might have arranged to have a nurse come to their home, but both parents agreed that they wanted Jackson to be around other children, not isolated from them. At the same time, they needed to find a place that could safely care for Jackson when his seizures occurred. Michelle and Robert were very fortunate. They found a solution when they found PACT.
At PACT, Jackson got the warm, nurturing care that he needed. He was in a classroom with other children his age. A nurse checked him first thing every morning and throughout the day. The physical, occupational and speech/language therapists at PACT provided the therapy service he needed. "Having therapists working in the childcare center was extremely valuable to us," said Michelle. "It meant that we didn’t have to leave work and take Jackson elsewhere for these services."
Jackson did very well in PACT's World of Care childcare center where he spent his days learning and playing with other children. His time in the childcare program also prepared him, as well as his parents, for his eventual transfer to a school with less intensive services. "We'll always look back at Jackson's time at PACT as being very special," said Michelle. "After all, it was at PACT that Jackson regained his smile."
PACT is an affiliate of Kennedy Krieger Institute.
