Success Stories

Kei was born prematurely and developed severe allergies in the early months of life. He was hospitalized with a bacterial infection as an infant, and was diagnosed with asthma at one year of age. He was a hyperactive child with learning problems, and he struggled to keep up with his peers.

At thirteen years of age, he was several years behind his peers both academically and physically. Although he was in junior high school, he was functioning at the third-grade level. In addition, his speech was unclear and disorganized.

Nana was born in Japan when her mother was forty years old. Her birth was a difficult one and an emergency C-section was needed.

The first sign of a problem was the very dry skin and rash on her face when she was just three months old. Nana continued to have upper respiratory infections throughout her infancy and early childhood. She was prescribed steroid medications when her condition worsened as it often did through the years. Nana was slow in her mobility development and in developing language. She had difficulty in playing successfully with other children.

Shintaro, from Japan, was born in the seventh month through emergency c-section after a difficult pregnancy. He weighed only 1905 grams at birth and had a brief birth cry. He was very pale and received light therapy in an incubator for kernicterus.

Because his breathing was shallow, he was transferred to a bigger hospital. He was given oxygen on the way and was placed in an artificial heart and lung machine for three days. He stayed in the hospital for over one month, until he weighed over 2500 grams.

Francesca, from Rome, Italy, and her fellow quintuplets were born by emergency Cesarean section in November 1987, two months prior to their expected due date. Francesca was clearly in distress following the birth and received low Apgar scores.

By the age of fifteen months it was obvious that Francesca had developmental problems, as she could not stand or walk. Her legs were rigid and she could not bear her own weight in the upright position.

Alessio was born in Italy and his father immediately learned that his son had the characteristics of Down syndrome. When Alessio was three months old, the diagnosis of Down syndrome was confirmed by chromosomal studies. He was small in size and had difficulty feeding and gaining weight.

In the first years, Alessio grew and developed but very slowly. He crawled when he was almost a year old, and he walked just before he was two years old. His language and manual skills were far below those of his peers.

Noriko's brain injury occurred when she was seven years old. While playing in the schoolyard, she was accidentally hit in the head by a ball. She became unconscious and went into a coma that lasted for three days.

While her speech and intellectual abilities quickly returned, the right side of her entire body was seriously affected. Her right leg and foot were rigid, and as a result she walked poorly. She had little use of her right arm, and no use of her right hand, which became increasingly tight.