Sunday, July 29, 2012

Good Things Come in Pairs and in Threes




We’re thrilled to announce that Jacob’s Fund has begun supporting three new children at McKenna Farms in the greater Atlanta area! This is an outstanding opportunity and challenge for our small organization; we have never supported 3 children in the US at the same time. With your help, we know this endeavor will be a success!


We’d like you to meet each one—Cameron and Landon, and Brandon—to better understand why your help is so critical in their young lives. 

Today we'll focus on our pair, brothers Cameron and Landon. Tomorrow we'll meet Brandon. Be sure to check back for another story you'll want to hear about how The Red Thread is changing lives in the United States.



Meet Cameron and Landon, three-year old identical twins. These beautiful boys were just 18 months old when their mom noticed that some of Landon's behaviors seemed unusual, and scheduled an appointment with the boys' doctor. What followed was checkups, long waiting lists for appointments (up to six months!), denials from their insurance company, waiting another agonizing six months for an appointment—all the while saving money to pay for the consultation—until finally Landon was seen by a specialist. 


Two days before Christmas, the family received the diagnosis: Landon was autistic. A few months later, Cameron was diagnosed with the same disorder. The following summer, at a friend's barbecue, their mom learned about McKenna Farms. She contacted Jessica Moore, Executive Director at the farm, in search of therapy solutions for her sons. Thankfully, McKenna Farms was able to provide the occupational and speech services her young sons need. 


Before beginning therapy, Landon had a vocabulary of five words. After only five months of work with McKenna Farms’ therapists, he now proudly owns over 100 words! The boys have now progressed from the therapy rooms to hippotherapy on the backs of the farm’s gentle horses. They love their sessions on Sassy, a beautiful quarter horse.


The twins are making great strides. They can better communicate with their family and will be more prepared to tackle pre-school in the coming months. Doctors and therapists concur that both boys need to spend a total of 40 hours a week with therapy or involvement with other children in a normal setting so being prepared for pre-school is a must for these little guys. 





Their mom and dad are thrilled that the boys are achieving their short-term goals with the help of the specialists at McKenna Farms and the financial support of Jacob’s Fund. Their long-term goal is for each boy to gain the necessary life skills to live independently as an adult. In order to do so, the boys require therapy three times a week. 


While the family’s health insurance covers 80 per cent of the cost of occupational therapy, it does not cover speech therapy, as autism is not covered at all on their policy. Mom's job, of love and necessity, is caring for and keeping the twins' schedules. The cost of these sessions for a single-wage-earner home is staggering. While McKenna Farms is a non-profit facility, the cost for maintaining regular, consistent therapy is significant. We have an outstanding opportunity to help these children. 


Jacob’s Fund and The Red Thread Promise are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to their lives. We need your help to be able to meet their needs. Donations can be made by sending a check to the address on the top right or by clicking on our PayPal button. Please be sure to write "Jacob's Fund" in the memo line.


We thank you for your contribution to change lives like these precious boys.

No comments: