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Demetrius Submitted by Brenda J. Pleasents, DSC , Demetrius’ mother, grandmother, and teachers, Cumberland CAHS, Fayetteville, NC |
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From Mother and Grandmother… |
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The weekend of his homecoming fell on the Labor Day holiday so we decided
to have all of the family members that were able to come share in this
joyous occasion. Demetrius’ father and myself had decided to take the trip
to pick up my mother, and bring her to the special event, along with
Demetrius. As we traveled down the road I was overcome with a sudden urge
to look back at the baby. Demetrius had turned blue. He was not breathing.
Without any consideration, I jumped into the back seat and on to
Demetrius. Flashbacks of all the procedures that had been taught to me before bringing Demetrius home ran through my head, and I was soon able to get him breathing again, not once, but twice. While at the hospital, he stopped breathing one more time, but with doctors from Highsmith’s Hospital continuous work, they were able to revive him for the third time that day. At this particular time, Highsmith Hospital was not equipped with all the necessary equipment or manpower to take care of Demetrius. Doctors were called in from Cape Fear Valley Hospital, and the decision
was finally made to have him air lifted to UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC
where he subsequently spent another month and a half. Countless hours were spent praying over the little crib where Demetrius
laid. The prayer and love from family and friends is what pulled Demetrius
and our whole family through this ordeal. Demetrius, who will turn 5 in a
matter of months, will graduate from River Commons Head Start on May 30,
2002. His progress increases every day. With the help of the hospital
system, the Health Department, and various other resources, Demetrius and
our family have received ample assistance for all his special needs. Demetrius was very happy and excited when he was engaged in class activities. Ms. Steward and I always gave him positive praises and encouragement to continue to help build his self-esteem. Ms. Steward and I began to nurture and cuddle Demetrius more because he appeared to be more relaxed and settled. We never had Demetrius to get out of control or throw a tantrum. Demetrius had a short attention span. He would always watch his surroundings in class. We had to work with him one on one when he couldn’t focus. Demetrius tried very hard to complete his tasks. I loved to see him smile when he got excited about anything he was involved in. The most exciting moment for me came when Demetrius began to speak in
whole sentences. Once he told a child to stop talking at the table and
called the child by name. On another occasion, he appeared jealous because
I was holding another child. I told Demetrius I had to hold the other
children as well. He looked me in the face and said, “You make me sick on
my stomach.” Ms. Steward and I yelled with excitement because Demetrius
mad another whole sentence. We gave him a big hug and he gave us a big
loud outburst and a big smile. Demetrius has come a long way and I am so
proud of all his accomplishments. We wish him much success in
Kindergarten. |
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