- Pin it
- SubscribeUnsubscribe
- Embed
Michelle Draus hasn't added a story.
Finn's Story - from Tina
What can I say about my Finnegan… He’s a fighter! Finn was born at just 27 weeks gestation, weighing only 1 lb, 15 oz. He came home at 3 months of age weighing only 7lbs. He is full of energy and never stops trying. When he saw his twin brother take his first steps, he literally spent the next 2 HOURS attempting to get up and take a step on his own! He’d fall, get frustrated, then get back up and try again! He wouldn't take a break. It would be another couple weeks before he got it, but boy was he proud!
Finn has an amazing heart and never ceases to surprise me. It isn’t always easy though. Despite overcoming MANY challenges, Finn still has some things he's working on. Finn still tests out in about 1/3 of all categories as delayed in motor skills. He has difficulty with visual motor coordination, decreased core strength and endurance, sensory regulation and modulation skills. He has been going to physical and occupational therapies weekly since he was only a couple months old and has been working on all of this and more. We are still working out the official diagnosis but seems most closely related to a Sensory Processing Disorder.
It’s best described as difficulties with Proprioception or not
being aware of where your body is in space. When Finn was a baby he
needed everything just right in order to take a bottle and eat.
I would have him snuggled in tight but not too snuggled, quiet but
not too quiet, you get the gist. When he would get upset later as an
infant, he would put his fingers in his mouth to make himself throw
up. Pretty difficult when as a Mom your trying to get weight on a
little one and also have them deal a little with life! Then we went
through about a year of being adamant that he needed to vacuum...not
a cute little toy one, my nice Shark vacuum! It was pretty heavy for
a 18 month old child. He would throw a tantrum a couple of times a
day until he got it. I finally figured it out that it must have
been giving his body something it needed, plus I got my floors
cleaned! My clearest indications occurred when Kristen (our
Therapist) attempted to navigate Finn down a hallway with various
ribbons on an angle as obstacles along the way. Some would come to
his ankles and others to his chest. He couldn't figure out how to
navigate it. Kristen led him through multiple times as he learned
the process and he was literally in a sweat, frustrated from working
so hard, but the process allowed him to learn the skills needed and
now he can navigate it without any effort.
Finn also has Nystagmus (a shaking of his eyes when he's tired or both eyes are not looking together) and Hypermetropia which just means he is very far sighted (+7 for his glasses). He received his first set of glasses when he was about 8 months. I remember the first time I put them on, he was so in awe of being able to see clearly, he reached up and held my face! <3. We are still working with the Nystagmus. It gets better, then worse. It seems to be worse when he's having a growth spurt. My worry is that when he starts school, reading may be difficult. We've started an additional therapy for this right now called Syntonics, pretty new stuff dealing with colored lights. It seems odd, but others are having impressive results. Fingers crossed. :-)
For Finn's input needs he has to push and pull heavy things to get a sense of his world around him, but his endurance from weaker core muscles is low and he tires pretty easily, so we have to work on it steadily a little at a time. There is a track near my gym that's about 200m around. His twin brother, Cameron, makes it almost all the way around with ease while Finn wants to stop at about 50m. Mom pushes him to finish but I have to hold his hand and do A LOT of cajoling.
Focus can also be a real struggle for him as many environmental stimuli coming in all around him can make it difficult for him to figure out what is important to pay attention to. While Finn loves the sensory input, he can also get overwhelmed and then have a meltdown. The meltdowns can be rough because it takes him awhile to work through it and often he cannot even process talking and words during that time. Car riding backwards as a baby was a nightmare, but it did add some stories for the baby books! Whew! We work a lot on having him tune in to what his body needs while developing some good coping strategies. He is amazing when he remembers and says, "take a deep breath", "get a drink of water"... then I know it's getting in.
The therapists at Fingerprints Therapy have been so helpful in helping with Finn's progress. He has made so many strides; I sometimes forget how far we've come. He's now able to do about a 10 piece puzzle (focus) and hold both arms out on a swing to grab a toy (core strength), His tantrums are less often in frequency and duration and he's learning a lot about how to navigate his world. But he's not done yet, he will likely require therapy for a few more years, especially to prepare him for the learning he will need in school. I just want him to be able to do the best that he can.
Weekly costs for the two therapies - physical and occupational is $160 or $640 each month, ($80/session)! I took a new position that I love and allows me to be home in the evenings with the boys to provide some much needed routine and security, however, my new insurance doesn't cover for therapies at all, and I'm left with the entire bill (previous insurance covered about 40% of the costs). Currently we are $2000 in arrears and then we will have monthly costs going forward.
I am not someone who typically asks for help, but I find myself at a point where my only option is reaching out or cancelling the therapies for my sweet boy. He is a very smart and loving child who deserves his chance. The other day he made a turkey picture and added all that he is grateful for with his other therapist (Allison). When I asked him if it was fun he said, "yes, Ms. Allison was really beautiful". :-) Such a sweetie.
Thank you so much for listening to our story. I am hoping everyone has a happy and wonderful holiday!
Highlights
See all activity50Activity
Delete media item?
Delete this item from the media gallery? It will also be deleted from any related story update.
Set as ?
The campaign video will appear in social media and email.
The campaign cover picture will appear in social media and email.
The will appear at the top of your campaign page and in social media and email.
Reset ?
It will be removed from the top of your campaign and won't be used as default in social media and email. The will remain in the media gallery.
Embed
Share a link
Delete update
Delete this story update?
Any pictures or videos will remain in the campaign's media gallery.
Report campaign
Report submitted
Thank you. We take reports like yours very seriously. Our goal is to keep the community safe.
Please know that we may contact you for more information, but that we won't notify you personally of our decision. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Thank you. We've already received your previous report. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Tell us about the problem. Please fill in both fields below.
Record a video
Upload a video
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Take a minute or two to record one now. Record a short video message of support. Or upload one from your device. You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Upload a short video message of support. Upload a short video message of support. Or record one right now.
- Most effective video length: about a minute.
- Maximum length: 5 min.
- You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Heads up! The existing video will be replaced.
Email your friends
Join our team
Tell people why our cause matters to you. Your personal message will encourage others to help. Easy, effective, optional.
Say it in video
Short personal videos by supporters like you are incredibly powerful. Record one right now and you'll help us raise more money. Easy, optional, effective.
Add a personal goal
Set a personal fundraising goal. You'll encourage more contributions if you do. And rest easy. There's no obligation to achieve your goal or bad consequences if you don't. Easy, optional, effective.
We have a video!
Video thumbnail
We'd love to show you our campaign video. Want to take a look?
, you're already on the team.