Nathan's Future, Your Kindness

 Bright, Funny, Thoughtful Nathan

You give ability.  You give mobility.  You give hope and a sense of achievement. Thanks seems not enough to say for what you give.

And yet, genuine and heartfelt thanks is just what Nathan and his family, and we, at The Red Thread Promise, want to express.

 

 Nathan and his Mom Talk with TRTP on a Hot Day in June

Your generous donations are going to put Nathan on a walking path, for the first time since November 2014.

It’s been a long, hard road for this young man, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma at age three. His treatment included chemotherapy, radiation, and two bone marrow (stem cell) transplants. While recovering from the second transplant, he developed a brain infection (toxoplasmosis) due to his weakened immune system.  Among the complications that arose was hemiparesis (weakness) on his right side.

Walking with the uneven gait that resulted from weakness eventually caused his right hip joint to become partially dislocated. Following surgery to correct this condition, Nathan spent eight weeks in a body cast, and several months in a wheelchair. 

Today he’s regaining strength, using a walker and even getting around on his own a little.

 

Nathan, Carefully Considering his Answer to "What do you like best about school?"

 

For the past two years, Nathan has been coming to McKenna Farms for physical therapy and is responding well.  Recently he started aquatic therapy and loves it! The next step of his treatment will be hippotherapy, as soon as his strength returns and the hardware in his hip, part of last November’s surgery, is removed. 

Your gifts ensure that Nathan’s muscles and supporting tissue and nerve fibers will continue to work together each week until he can leave his walker behind, and safely mount his hippotherapy horse.

Thank you for your generous hearts.