Little Nevaeh is a fighter. Born at just 27 weeks, she had brain injuries that led to cerebral palsy (CP). After three months in the NICU, Nevaeh was finally able to come home to her mom, Martricia. SOAR365 has been by their side ever since.
What has SOAR365 helped Nevaeh learn to do? “Everything,” says Martricia. “Walking, making sounds. Literally since she got out of the hospital, she’s been with them.”
Nevaeh sees two SOAR365 therapists: Aiyana Doswell-Coles, for speech and feeding therapies, and Sam Cipolla, for physical therapy.
When Nevaeh was first diagnosed with CP, it “was a really tough moment for their family,” says Sam. “I know Martricia struggled with her diagnosis at first. We talked a lot about what it would mean for Nevaeh’s future and how to move forward.”
Nevaeh is now almost three years old, and Martricia appreciates the continuity of care she’s had at SOAR365, which gives her and her daughter a sense of comfort.
Today, Nevaeh is walking with the help of a gait trainer and braces. Her best motivator during therapy? Spicy chips.
“She’ll walk for that! She’ll do anything pretty much,” says Martricia, laughing.
Martricia says Nevaeh’s personality is just as fiery as her favorite snacks. “She doesn’t like to be told what to do, and she knows what she does and doesn’t like,” her mom shares.
Sam and Aiyana agree. “I first met Nevaeh when she was about 8 months old. Even then she had a big personality!” says Sam. “Nevaeh has always known what she wants, and she makes sure to let us know, too.”
Aiyana adds, “She’s never had a problem finding some way to let us know what she needs, but she has recently gotten better about reaching for specific toys, bringing things to her parents, and even pointing to interesting things in books!”
At home, Nevaeh loves to cuddle up with her mom, her books and her beloved pink blanket. She’ll also spend hours playing with any toy that makes sound, or enjoying new TV shows, like Elmo, Doggyland or Curious George.
“Crawling was really, really hard for Nevaeh to learn and took months of hard work both from her and her mom. I was concerned she wasn’t going to crawl because we had been working on it for almost 6 months, but one day, she just figured it out! I came to the house for our session, and Nevaeh was crawling all over the place. She hasn’t stopped moving since.”
“She’s a pretty amazing kiddo and it’s been an incredible journey working with her,” says Sam.
We are on track to serve close to 1,200 children this year! That’s more than ever before. But we can’t do it without the help of our generous donors, like the Jenkins Foundation.
“SOAR365’s Pediatric Therapy program provides essential early intervention services that reduce health disparities for children with disabilities in our community. We are happy to be a partner in this work,” says Susan Jenkins, Chair of the Jenkins Foundation.
If you’d like to support Pediatric Therapy and all of the life-fulfilling programs SOAR365 offers, please visit soar365.org/donate.