Coleman was in the paper :)
4 October 2015Check out the link below. Coleman's story made it into the Hawkesbay Today.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11523295
Sorry everyone for the lack of updates it would seem I didn't click the box that allows you to share your updates.... As you all know life can be pretty crazy sometimes. I'd just like to say thanks to all of you who have made a donation thus far and to all future donators your support truly is appreciated!
Here is a little story I wrote for Colemans Crusades Facebook page...
When Coleman was born he was nothing less than perfection. People would often comment on what an amazing baby I had. He was as people would say "To good to be true".
Once I brought him home from the hospital he was sleeping 6 hour stints between feeds and in a very short time that increased to 8, 10 and 12 hours. It was hard to believe I could have had such a good baby. Once the time came for him to be meeting milestones it became very apparent that things were just that 'to good to be true' at 12 months he was still unable to sit unaided and by 18 months he was still sitting in one spot, only able to play with toys that were within arms reach. Around this time I finally managed to convince plunket that there was something to be concerned about and that he needed to see a paediatrician.
On meeting the paediatrician we were referred to I was pleased that he (Dr Kai Steinmann) showed the same concern I had. He got right to testing Coleman for various things. One of which was Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (I think he knew from the moment he met Coleman that he had Duchenne but wanted to be sure as there was no family history). After a few more visits and tests he also referred us to see another paediatrician (Dr Kate Robertshaw) who specialised in developmental issues. She later diagnosed Coleman with Profound developmental delay.
Once we received a confirmed diagnoses for the Duchenne Coleman was almost 4. He was well into getting therapy from all sorts of therapists and they were training me to aid in his development both cognitive and physical. The supports that were put in place were fabulous and I credit the Hawkesbay Hospital staff and various agencies that aided us. I couldn't of managed without them!
As you can imagine after the initial diagnoses I was heart broken. For quite awhile I completely lost myself. It was as if all my dreams for that perfect little man I spent 9 months carrying and a couple of years raising had come crashing down around me. That perfect baby people commented about was no longer perfect. The dreams I had of him growing up, having a career, relationships, children all came crashing down around me. Truth is if it wasn't for my family, friends and support I got from different agencies things could have turned out a lot differently.
I am so very thankful to all the people that assisted me to get past that initial heartbreak and realise that Coleman's life is not over and in fact it was just beginning and that his imperfections in fact made him more perfect. That's when I wiped off my tears and decided I would pack in as much life as I can while he is here. I am happy to say so far so good. Coleman has traveled overseas, sat court side at a NZ Breakers game, enjoyed a Make-A-Wish New Zealand, raced around Pukekohe raceway in 10 different Ferraris, had granted some pretty cool play equipment and gadgets from various trusts and even spent some amazing moments with family and friends.
To say we are blessed would be an understatement. Granted things still get challenging but thanks to everyone's support, yours included, we are going to make it!!!
Please continue to share Coleman's Crusade the more people we can reach with his story the more support we can get for this courageous little man.
Thanks again!