Peterson’s Story

Peterson

Peterson is a 7 year old boy born with a condition called Hydracephalus, that causes swelling of the fluid in the skull resulting in an enlarged head that can cause blindness and brain damage.  Peterson’s condition is quite severe but he manages to persevere on a daily basis. Bound to his crib with a feeding tube in his nose, Peterson’s hands need to be tied to the bars of his bed so that he doesn’t pull out his tube.  He is also Blind.

After seeing Peterson’s condition deteriorating, some of the guys got together and located an old physical therapy chair that had been in the storage building.  They took it apart, cleaned it, made some modifications to fit Peterson and his head (his neck is not strong enough to support his head yet).  The staff agreed to let them bring Peterson outside for the first time.  He was in Heaven!

There are plans to integrate Peterson to bottle feeding with the care of the physical therapists who will help him learn to feed himself which will hopefully eliminate the feeding tube and allow him to feed himself someday.

Peterson in his new chair.
All dressed up for a day of fun with Mike

On the last trip, we brought backpacks and gifts for all the kids.  We dressed Peterson in some new clothes and took him out for some fun.  It was a day to remember and I look forward to seeing him interact with the other children as he gets stronger and healthier.  This is one tough kid and he is the heart and soul of the MHO children’s home.

Open this link to see video of Peterson on You Tube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxncJFVkE8g