When my son Henry was just nine months old, he had to undergo major kidney surgery. Before the surgery, he was thriving—hitting all his milestones and on the verge of walking. But after the procedure, everything changed. He became a completely different child. Henry developed severe separation anxiety and signs of trauma. He would hyperventilate just going to the store or on the swing at the park. Follow-up doctor visits were the worst, he would hold on to my husband and I so tight that we couldn’t put him down. His appetite disappeared, and he often threw up his food.
At Henry’s one-year check-up, I raised concerns with his pediatrician about his eating and was told to just give him time. After pushing for further evaluation, we were referred to Steps and began working with Andrea, an Occupational Therapist. Andrea quickly realized that Henry’s behavior was PTSD and a reaction to the trauma of his surgery.
She introduced us to Lauren, Steps’ Infant Mental Health provider, and that’s when things started to turn around.
Lauren was incredible. She helped us understand Henry’s triggers – things we hadn’t even realized, like people wearing face masks, the lighting in the doctor’s office, or the smell of the cleaners used in the restrooms. They were the same cleaning products used at Children’s Hospital. She gave us tools to help Henry cope. We began to see progress, bit by bit. We started doing trial runs at the doctor’s office, using a calm voice and other techniques Lauren had taught us. Slowly, Henry became more comfortable, and his meltdowns lessened. Before, he couldn’t even be in a public restroom without panicking. Now, we can change his diaper there without any issues.
Andrea also worked with Henry on rebuilding his confidence. Before therapy, Henry wouldn’t go near the other kids or the jungle gym at the park. Recently we went to the park with Andrea and Henry ran, climbed, and played with other kids. Watching him overcome that fear was incredible.
Feeding was another huge challenge. After the surgery, Henry wouldn’t chew or swallow properly because of the trauma associated with the NG tube. Andrea helped us ease him back into eating by giving him control, letting him explore food without pressure. Now, Henry eats everything. He even loves raw broccoli, which still amazes me!
Megan, one of Steps’ Speech Language Pathologist, also played a big role in Henry’s progress. When we first met her, Henry only said a few basic words like “Mama” and “Dada.” But thanks to Megan’s patience and play-based techniques, his vocabulary has grown tremendously.
He’s now using over 15 words, and I know he’s getting closer to fully talking every day.
There aren’t enough words to say how grateful my husband and I are for Steps. Henry is everything to us, and after his surgery, his PTSD was heartbreaking. Now, he’s laughing, playing, and enjoying life again. I truly believe that if programs like this had existed when we were kids, the world would be a different place. Steps has given us back our happy, thriving son, and for that, we will always be thankful.
– Jessica
