Holland has been attending Child’s Way medical daycare since he came home from the NICU at 6 months old. We are so grateful for this place and it has become a space where our son has not only been cared for physically, but has been helped to thrive and meet milestones we were told he would never meet.
In the winter of 2020, we had just gone through the most difficult thing we’d ever endured. Our son was born 3 months early with a host of medical issues; in fact, we were told that he wasn’t
expected to survive his first night – but he did. It was a world of dreading what’s next and not knowing what to expect, other than the fact that we would face it together and find a way to make it. He continued to defy expectations, and after 3 emergency, life saving surgeries, weeks of life support, and a long list of challenges overcome, we were finally ready to come home. As parents, it was a relief and terrifying at the same time. This tiny baby was healthy and strong enough to leave the hospital but still medically fragile enough that he required significant support and came with several accessories like a feeding tube and oxygen. We again had to figure out what was next, and unlike bringing our other children home from the hospital a few days after they were born, we knew that this ‘next’ would look different. We were decided that Child’s Way would be what was next, and at the time we had no idea how impactful and wonderful that choice would be.
Having been at Child’s Way for nearly three years, Holland has 
become somewhat of a mayor there. He excitedly welcomes visitors, loves spending time with his peers, and adores the staff that works there. When he left the hospital, we were told that he would likely never eat, walk, or speak on his own, however with the help of his nurses, teachers, and therapists at Child’s Way, Holland is doing all of those things and more. We know that he would not have been able to flourish in this way in another child care setting, and that the individualized and highly skilled care he receives is critical to his stability, development, and advancement. He may not take the typical path that other kids do, and will continue to achieve his milestones in his own Holland time, but he is progressing every day.
Having a resource like Child’s Way available to our family has
allowed us to operate in a way that would otherwise be impossible. As his parents, we are able to return to work knowing that he is safe, healthy, and going to thrive, and that people who love him are helping to watch over him, care for him, and respond to his medical needs in the same way his parents would. Our entire family is welcomed and supported by his team, and Holland is able to live a life filled with fun, learning, support, concern, and love just like any other three year old, but one who will continue to defy the odds.
