Community Corner

Southeast Michigan Donations Give New Life to 3-Year-Old Patient of Beaumont Children's Hospital

Generosity of community provides invaluable resources to change lives of local children.

The sound of a child’s laughter and voice have been said to be magical. Like every child, three-year-old Troy Jones wanted to play, talk and express his feelings. But, unlike his peers, the Royal Oak toddler was suffering from severe verbal apraxia preventing him from doing so. His mother, Ashton Isaacson was struggling to understand why her son with the infectious laughter would not speak, sought help from Beaumont Children’s Hospital specialists. Because of generous donations from the community to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Beaumont’s Pediatric Speech and Language Pathology department had the resources to diagnose Troy, and provide the necessary treatment to help him.

Verbal apraxia affects the consistent coordination of the parts of the mouth involved in speech like the tongue, lips, and lower jaw. Troy, suffering from this disorder, was unable to express his needs and wants, to understand or answer age-appropriate yes or no questions, and was limited when trying to produce sounds. After almost four months of specialized treatment at Beaumont Children’s Hospital, Troy now answers yes or no questions, labels a variety of objects, and speaks in short sentences.

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“My little boy who hardly made a sound, produced his first whole sentence last week,” says an excited Isaacson. “New words and combinations of words are popping out of him daily. Nothing melts my heart more than hearing a ‘love you’ out of the boy I wasn’t sure would ever be able to speak.”

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In addition to the specialized care Beaumont Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Speech and Language Pathology department has provided Troy, his family has been able to witness every minute of his progress by viewing the sessions on real-time monitors, or by watching tape recordings, made available by the department.

“Troy is an inspiration to us,” explains Brian Berman, M.D., chairman, department of Pediatrics and the pediatrician-in-chief, Beaumont Children’s Hospital. “We rely on community support to help provide lifesaving items and financial assistance for our patients like Troy. Without the generosity of the community, we would not be able to make the significant difference like we have and for this we are grateful.”

This holiday, Beaumont Children’s Hospital partnered with Give Miracles, a CMN Hospitals program, and is looking to check off items on a holiday wish list for area children. Through its website, www.givemiracles.org, donors are given the opportunity to choose from three options: Crowdfunding, general donation, or gifted donation. Through its Crowdfunding platform, individuals and groups are able to join together to purchase items ranging from Beau the Bear stuffed animals to patient treatment scholarships for rehabilitation, oncology, or speech therapy patients, and many other opportunities for kids at Beaumont Children’s Hospital.

“Donors can designate where the funds are used, and all community donations come directly to our hospital,” adds Dr. Berman. “Through GiveMiracles.org, we hope to raise the much-needed funds to make a big difference for our patients.”

To donate to Beaumont Children’s Hospital and help thousands of children from Southeast Michigan, visit GiveMiracles.org today.

Source: Beaumont Health System


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