Inviting Arkansas - Index

Inviting Arkansas - invitingarkansas - Index

12
Inviting Arkansas
On the Cover The Allen School Photography by Nancy Nolan
White linen skirt and top available at Vesta’s
Makeup by Jennie Jaksha – Glo Limited
Dreams Need Room to Grow
“I had a perfect pregnancy,” says Katy, mother of Nicolas. Although
she had a 17 hour labor, the first time mom was not overly
concerned with how her delivery process was proceeding. Eventually,
doctors decided to perform a c-section due to the prolonged labor
and Nicolas’ position. Upon his arrival, Nicolas was completely
healthy, and even scored fine on his apgars, a test assigned to newborns
at one and five minutes of age. “Normal infants have apgars
from 7 to 10. Nicolas’ were 8 at 1 minute and 10 at 5 minutes,” says
Katy. However, 17 hours post delivery, Nicolas had his first seizure
which manifested itself with no outward clinical signs except when
he quit breathing. The seizures continued over the next 3 days and
were so severe that doctors placed Nicholas on a breathing machine
to protect his airway.
After Nicolas was transferred to Arkansas Children’s Hospital and
an initial MRI was performed, Katy and her husband, Branon, were
told to “go home and grieve for their baby.” The prognosis was a
global diffuse injury over 90% of his brain. The new parents were
faced with the possibility that their child’s chances of breathing
without a ventilator were slim. As a registered nurse, Katy fully understood
what the doctors were telling her. “But as a mother,” Katy
revealed, “I had such peace. Somehow I knew Nicolas was going to
be okay.”
“My child has Cerebral Palsy,” Katy stated. “As my family and
friends know,” she continued, “it has taken me a long time to say
these words.” Yet from the beginning, Katy and Branon have been
proactive and aggressive with therapy. In addition, they searched
for the best educational and therapeutic services available for their
son. Fortunately, the Francis A. Allen School has been an ideal fit
for their son.
Founded in 1958, the Francis A. Allen School for Exceptional
Children has established a lasting reputation for the treatment of
the developmentally disabled. With money won from a school raffle,
a group of parents at Holy Souls Catholic Church made their
dream of a school for the developmentally disabled become a reality.
Under the leadership of Monsignor Francis A. Allen, the parish
pastor, the school opened its doors with an initial enrollment of