I was 29 weeks pregnant. Up to this point, my pregnancy with Allie had been pretty normal. My husband was traveling, and I was busy working and chasing a toddler around. I noticed Allie hadn’t been moving as much, but I figured I was distracted by all the craziness. When I went into work that Monday morning, however, something inside me (maybe Allie ????) was telling me that something was very wrong.
I called the doctor and was sent for an ultrasound. We discovered Allie’s intestines twisted and she wasn’t getting proper nutrition. Twenty minutes later, I had an emergency c-section. Allie was born weighing just over 3lbs. We were in the neonatal intensive care unit for months, and Allie had suffered significant brain damage and seizures from complications of the pregnancy.
At home, Allie still needed medical care, but just like any other family we needed to work. I was nervous to let just anyone watch her. That’s when I found Child’s Way®, a day care for medically fragile children at The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center. I called — and it changed everything.
In Child’s Way, Allie can play and thrive, as the strong-willed child she is, under the watch of people who truly care about her wellbeing. She gets the social aspect of schooling that she deserves and traditional educational experiences.
Finally, Allie receives physical, occupational, speech and vision therapy as part of her daycare day, so there’s no need for me to drop to part-time, quit, or take all my PTO days from my job.
Child’s Way gives us peace of mind. There’s a risk that at any point Allie could start having seizures again. We often joke that Allie is safer at Child’s Way than anywhere else because we know she’s surrounded by well-trained and experienced staff.
Most importantly, we have a community at Child’s Way. Raising a kid takes a village. Raising a medically fragile kid takes a strong community. Child’s Way gives us that. The program wants the best for your child, and that makes all the difference in our lives.
Thank you for making a difference for a child like Allie. It means the world.
Sincerely,
Amanda Eberhart, Allie’s Mom
Want to know more about how Child’s Way supports kids like Allie? Hear it straight from a Child’s Way teacher, Sydney!