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Pearl City, Ill. —
It has been an “amazing” few weeks for Dalton Rogers-Ford, 4, following a stem cell treatment in September. This young child, who suffers from cerebral palsy, traveled to Europe with his mother, Nikki Rogers, and both of his grandmothers. Life has been a journey for this family. Watching Dalton in action is the payoff.
“Dalton is amazing,” Nikki said. “He keeps improving more and more every day — the journey was worth it and I will do it again when I think the time is right.”
Dalton has cerebral palsy, and each day is a struggle for him. His smile is big, and his mother melts with love every time she looks at her young son. Nikki has been devoted to her son’s needs since he was first diagnosed.
Life began too early for this young boy. He was born nine weeks premature on April 6, 2006. Nikki said her pregnancy was normal, but after birth, Dalton suffered a grade-one brain bleed. At the age of 6 months, his mother began to notice he wasn’t doing what a baby should be doing. At the age of 18 months, he was diagnosed with Periventricular (PVL), a form of cerebral palsy. Essentially, he is trapped inside his own body.
Hope for Dalton
Nikki is her own advocate for her young son. She researched the stem cell treatment, and found out it would cost more than $10,000. Friends and family came to the rescue. A fundraiser was held in August. The family flew to Europe on Sept. 4. It took three days for the stem cell treatment procedure. There were no guarantees, but Nikki was ready to take the gamble, and now it’s beginning to pay off.
“I have never questioned myself and could never imagine it could have turned out this way — I told myself I would take anything I could get with his improvements,” Nikki said. “He’s now sitting through circle time, library and music class at school.
“He’s also making a ton more vocal sounds, using his right arm more,” she added.
Dalton is in his second year at preschool at Pearl City Elementary School. Prior to this year, Dalton never participated in class. He didn’t like the noise of the other children. His teacher, Judy Robinson, said this year, since the stem cell treatment, Dalton is in the center of activity. She said he wants to be in the classroom, and wants to be with the other kids.
“Dalton has made great strides,” Robinson said. “He is beginning to communicate and can now form a short sentence.
“Since he has been back, he now says hi to the staff and the only time he gets agitated is when another child cries — he’s very empathetic,” she added.
Subtle Changes Become Huge
Nikki said she is pleased with Dalton’s improvements. She said the changes may seem small to people who don’t know Dalton, but to her, his teachers and family, the changes “are huge.” Nikki said she has no doubts that she did the right thing for her son. The doctors could not give her an exact progression for improvements. She takes it day by day and is already planning for a future trip in 2012.
Dalton is now standing with assistance and taking more steps on his own. A lefty, he is beginning to use his right hand and when asked, “Where’s Dalton,” he uses his left hand to touch his chest.
His aide in the classroom, Karen Krogull, sums up Dalton’s improvements this way, “It’s exciting to see the results in Dalton — I find it an honor and a privilege to work with him each day.”