An Extraordinary Beginning
Not many 16-year-old boys look up to doctors instead of superheroes, but Gideon has always been extraordinary.
He was extraordinary when he was born; just three-and-a-half-tiny pounds, two months early, but so full of heart.
Sara first got the call that Gideon’s birth mother was in labor on a Tuesday morning. She and her husband, Andy, had been excitedly anticipating their son’s arrival. But they were shocked when they learned how early he’d come.
“We booked a plane to Texas, and we got there as soon as possible. He was born while we were still traveling. We didn’t know what we’d see when we got there.”
The first time her eyes met her son, she saw him lying in a bed, writhing in pain. He was going through withdrawal.
“We knew his birth mother had used some opioids. She said she stopped when she found out she was pregnant during the first trimester,” says Sara, Gideon’s mom. “Later, she admitted to using throughout the pregnancy, even in the hospital.”
The doctors at the El Paso hospital where he was born told them Gideon had one of the worst cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome they’d ever seen. They weren’t sure if he would ever be able to walk or talk. They didn’t know what his life, or theirs, would be like.
The adoption agency Sara and Andy used to find Gideon called them, asking if they still wanted him.
“I didn’t even check with my husband. I was like, he’s 100-percent mine from the moment I laid eyes on him,” Sara says.
Finding the Care Gideon Needed at Cincinnati Children's
And from that very first moment, Sara knew she would give Gideon the best care she possibly could. She knew the best care would be found at Cincinnati Children’s.
Gideon spent the first two months of his life in the hospital in El Paso. Sara and Andy stayed by his side until they were finally able to bring their family home to Cincinnati. Gideon was still in need of specialized care.
“I think the only reason they let us bring him home when they did was because they knew we really needed to get him to Cincinnati Children's,” says Sara. “The doctors and nurses in El Paso loved my kid, and I felt they loved all the kids in the NICU, but the level of care there versus here is just... I’m blown away every time we walk through the doors.”
Their first appointment at Cincinnati Children's was overwhelming. On top of bringing their son home for the first time, they were finally starting to come up with a long-term care plan for Gideon that would help him reach his full potential.
And because Gideon has always been extraordinary, some of his conditions have shown up through less common symptoms.
“It took some time to get an official diagnosis of cerebral palsy because he doesn’t fit into some of the parameters of it,” Sara says. “But we needed services for it, and for insurance to cover some of his interventions. The doctors worked with us to make sure we got the right diagnosis and helped connect us to other support systems that can help Gideon thrive.”
Growing Into What’s Possible
That diagnosis also brought Gideon close to one of his favorite doctors, James McCarthy, MD, MHCM, and the director of our Division of Orthopaedics.
“He’s in awe of Dr. McCarthy. There was a time when he studied about him and watched videos online about him,” Sara says. “That’s his favorite superhero—Dr. McCarthy.”
And it’s because of Dr. McCarthy and the rest of his orthopaedic care team, in addition to physical and occupational therapy, that Gideon is able to do what doctors once thought impossible—with the assistance of a walker, he can take his own steps.
But it’s not only the physical accomplishments that Gideon has made in his life that have impacted his family. His family’s goal has always been to help Gideon be as independent as possible, and part of that is teaching him to advocate for himself. His doctors have always listened to him and are dedicated to helping him achieve his goals.
It makes his parents both proud and grateful to have the resources Gideon needs.
“I want him to be as independent as possible, I want him to be happy and I want him to contribute to our world—because that’s what he wants to do. He wants to be a part of something,” Sara says.
As a 16-year-old, he’s still figuring out exactly what he wants to do when he grows up. His goal today, to be a bagger at Kroger, is very different from his goal just a few months ago: to be a nurse anesthetist. For the moment, he’s keeping his options open, and his parents are grateful Cincinnati Children’s has given him the opportunity to dream as big as he wants.
