Kailey’s Story

Kailey was born with serious problems with her kidneys, heart, and brain, as well as a cleft palate. Her parents, Jared and Melissa, remember feeling all alone when they brought their infant daughter home from the hospital. Fortunately, Racker was there to help!

“We were all alone with no one to turn to for help! The doctors had told us that our daughter would never be able to walk or even turn her head. We had so many questions… How can we help our daughter? How will we cope? I became Kailey’s nurse for the first year of her life. Because of her cleft palate, she had a great deal of trouble swallowing. We had to squeeze drops of baby formula into her mouth to keep her from choking.

When Kailey was three months old, her doctors inserted a G-tube. Though this allowed us to feed her more easily, it brought new challenges. We had to learn to clean and insert the tube and to use a stethoscope to listen to her belly. Regular daycare was out of the question because Kailey’s medical needs were too serious and she required specialized care. Our families helped out so that I could go back to work, but we were still afraid to take her out of the house. Because her immune system was so fragile, she would get sick easily when we took her into public places. We were so grateful for the help Racker Centers provided. They understood how fragile Kailey was and gave us the tools and courage we needed to help our daughter. Thanks to Racker, Kailey now has friends and a hopeful future!”– Melissa (Kailey’s mother)

When Kailey was five months old, Jared and Melissa turned to Racker Centers to get the help that they and Kailey needed. Kailey began receiving Early Intervention services. A staff member evaluated her to identify her strengths and needs and therapists began to make home visits two days a week to work with her to build strength in her arms, legs, and torso, and to address her distressing swallowing issues.

Kailey is now in elementary school, after having graduated from Racker’s special education preschool program and the Beetles Classroom. She can now do so much. Most importantly, she has friends who support her as she continues to make progress.

Your support of Racker Centers helps children like Kailey learn, grow, and thrive!

Kailey’s parents are grateful that Racker had given them so much hope for their daughter’s future.
Helping families work through fear, providing support, and guiding individuals with disabilities to take important next steps towards their full potential, that’s what we do every day…and your support makes this possible!