“I heard and read great things prior to coming to Weisman Children’s, however even I was surprised just how welcoming the staff was and all the support they offered, not just to EJ which was fantastic, but to me as well.
From big things such as including me on everything related to EJ’s care, to little things like asking me if I wanted something to drink. It was all a very homelike feeling which I can’t express how much that helped us feel comfortable during the stay.” EJ suffered a brain injury due his drowning incident and when he first arrived at Weisman Children’s he was very dependent, unable to do anything without assistance from others. Destiney credits the therapy team’s talent to understand when to push and not push EJ as a reason he had such a fast turnaround.
“The therapy team was fantastic. They were very involved and listened to my concerns and how I felt. They worked very well with EJ. In the beginning, he had a hard time controlling his emotions because of the injury, but towards the end he could control his emotions a little better and he seemed like was enjoying himself and was happy. I loved being able to hear his laugh again.”
Due to the nature of his accident, EJ developed a tremendous fear of water and the Weisman Children’s team worked hard to help him overcome it. “He really struggled with taking a bath at first because of what happened. We made it a point as a team to engaged EJ in a variety of different water play activities to get him comfortable in that environment again,” said Gianna Gambuti, MS, CTRS, CBIS, EJ’s Recreational Therapist.
To build up EJ’s tolerance to water again, the team thought of fun creative ways, including using an inflatable water mat, water toys, and a sprinkler. By beginning to associate fun with water, EJ eventually turned the corner. Gianna continued, “Seeing the progress he made, going from hating the water to now loving it again was something truly special.”
Destiney remains grateful for all the time and dedication the Weisman Children’s team made during EJ’s inpatient stay, “The situation that we were in, he could not move at all when we came and by the time we were leaving, he was sitting up with support and his personality came back. He progressed so much and I appreciate just how fantastic the entire team treated my child.”