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Very touching and heartwarming story to say the least. Everything happens for a reason and you're given what you can handle and it appears your son, aside from his condition, is one lucky guy to have a dad like you. 👍
my son’s true condition is periventricular leukomalacia PVL. Sounds like it’s right up your alley, perhaps we can talk sometime. We have no reason to think he has cognitive issues with where the damage was, and he seems to understand complex things when tested with patience. No way for us to know for sure completely. But he has figured out how to communicate with us fairly well, considering the tools he has available to him.
Was a very rough start when he was born so early, same week I started my business 11 years ago. That would be another story in another thread.
PVL is up there with the most common structural findings of CP and as you know can be variable in the extent of brain injury. Fortunately children have more neuronal plasticity and are able to function better than an adult for the same extent of injury.
He sounds like a wonderful kid who has a terrific father. Disabilities do not have to get in the way of living a meaningful life nor do they necessarily define what you can and cannot accomplish. FWIW - I was born with a disability (I think it is fairly minor but it is technically defined as major) that led the doctors at the time I was born to suggest that I would live a very disadvantaged life - making my parents feel very guilty/blaming themselves. In reality, it motivated to work harder and find ways to excel where I was not encumbered by this physical limitation.
If there is anyway I can be of help, let me know. I am fortunate enough to work with some very talented people at one of, if not the best medical center(s) in the world.
That’s very nice of you to say. Kaden is a great kid and has been given a unique life, and one where he is pretty much loved by everyone who knows him. It’s certainly not the worst, and even he has a lot to be thankful for.
Its very honorable and commendable of you to make so much light of such a horrible curve ball to be thrown at your son in life. Forgive me but I think that's how most of us would view his circumstances. One thing for sure, judging by your thread here, he's been blessed with a truly wonderful father.
Thank you sir for this thread and reminding some of us of how blessed we are.
[QUOTE=99999;1596859451]For the most part, I'm a Porsche guy. I'm on my 5th Porsche, a 911 Turbo (991), having a couple of 911's and Cayman's before that. I also have a special needs son, my kid was born 2.5 months early and suffers from Cerebral Palsy really bad. Kids like him need a lot of motion, and we don't have a lot of amusement parks or traditional "rides" around were i live, so i used to take him Go Karting at a local place. Unfortunately, he has outgrown the tandem seats in Go Karts so he no longer can ride in them. So car rides are the next best thing, and even though he can't speak, he uses his speaking device to ask to "Go for a ride" many times a day. So at least once a day we go for a nice drive around town, and he fits amazingly well in the small cramped rear seats of the Porsche 911. He can't hold himself up, so he needs a tight fit to feel comfortable. Its sort of a match made in heaven for him.
Here he is with my Turbo:
I love the Turbo, excellent car, great quality. I only have two issues with it. 1) its so rare around where i live that I've actually had people follow me home when i was out driving it, and 2) I cannot fit my son's foldable wheelchair in it very well (wont fit in the frunk), so i can't use it to take my son on a weekend road trip, where we might stop and stay overnight in a hotel somewhere.
So i started looking for other options for an additional sports car that hopefully could accommodate my needs without attracting the level of attention the Turbo does. This car would then take the place as my year round daily driver. The Turbo is actually AWESOME in the winter and i had been driving it in snow just fine, it's all wheel drive, but I know that the right tires make most of the difference. So on i went looking for an older model Porsche, probably a 911 Cabriolet (997), as i could load the wheelchair parts in the back seat of that thing if the top was down pretty easy, and then put the top back up, assuming i could find a way for my son to be comfortable in the front seat, and i was looking for a manual transmission to just make it more different from the Turbo.
Then I started thinking I needed to focus more on the utility of what i needed and perhaps should look at alternatives to Porsche. I remembered that Vetts were hatchbacks of some sort. So i looked and found that one was actually on sale nearby, so i went to check it out. Took my son, and his foldable wheelchair with me, and WOW, this thing was a perfect fit for us. The hatchback storage is HUGE, and very easy to access, and the bolsters on the front seat were good enough to hold my son in place. Here are a couple of more pics.
And so i bought it on the spot. Got a great deal on a very pretty, well cared for Racing Blue C7 (2014) with just over 10,000 miles on it. I've driven it enough these past two days to be really impressed with how comfortable this thing is, and while i have always considered the Porsche 911 the most "useful" sports car, I have to admit, the C7 Vette is more useful for me and my son. I'm keeping the Turbo, can't pry that away from me, but this is the car we will be making father/son memories in, and it will get the vast majority of my time. What a car! So here i am, hoping to learn from all of you. First thing will be getting the previous owner's little named plaque off the inside and replaced with whatever should be there, and second will be cleaning up the front as i have removed the front license plate holder and the nose of the car is scruffed up quite a bit from it.
Here she is, cool pic at an abandoned weigh station and some other parking lot.
That's the same sort of smile that my Morgan had when we went for a ride. But when she got in the sun, it was all over - Nap Time! One in the 97 and the other in the 88 Callaway Twin Turbo with the top down. No room in the Callaway for her wheelchair, so we went to get milkshakes in a drive-thru where she fell asleep waiting. Bless you and your family. It takes special people to handle the special kids!
Well, Vette is at the shop per my other thread about the infotainment screen. Looking forward to getting her back tomorrow. In the mean time we will be enjoying the primary benefit the 911 Turbo has over the Vette.
Well, Vette is at the shop per my other thread about the infotainment screen. Looking forward to getting her back tomorrow. In the mean time we will be enjoying the primary benefit the 911 Turbo has over the Vette.
03-26-2018, 09:56 PM
