“From her first day of therapy at Midland Children’s Rehabilitation Center to today - only one year later - Remi is a completely different kid.”
Remi Hanks’ mom, Laura, reflects on her daughter’s 2 ½ years of life with awe and gratefulness…and hope. When hearing about Remi’s journey so far, you can’t help but notice that numbers have defined her life. She was born at 25 weeks, weighing less than a pound at 15.5 ounces and measuring only 10.75 inches long (picture a ruler in your head for perspective.) Her 10 tiny toes looked like little grains of rice. At only 9 days old, Remi had Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) surgery to correct a congenital heart defect. Physical and occupational therapies began at 4 months old. At 5 months, a traumatic incident occurred when she aspirated while drinking from her bottle, and she was airlifted, sedated for a full week, and revived several times. She had a central line inserted at 6 months old. The first 9 months of her life were spent fighting in the NICU and she used a NG tube for feeding for the first 11 months of her life. Remi was also intubated twice and used oxygen for 14 months. During her time at MCRC, she has received 5 different types of therapies. Chronic lung disease, nystagmus (a vision condition defined by rapid, uncontrollable eye movements that affect vision, balance, and coordination), and feeding issues further complicated these early years of her childhood. To say Remi is a miracle and a survivor is an understatement.
When Remi started coming to therapy at MCRC last spring at 1 ½ years old, she was significantly delayed with feeding and all developmental milestones. She could not tolerate tummy time, loud noises, or textures, and she could not walk or crawl. Her Physical Therapist, Katie, said, “Her progress for PT includes improved balance and overall gross motor skills including walking, throwing, and crawling. She can participate with peers, has shown huge improvement in her independence, and lets her sweet & fun personality shine through her sessions!” Katie also said that Remi does an amazing job in hippotherapy and has demonstrated improved core strength throughout her time here. At the beginning of her MCRC journey, Remi had a hard time leaving her mom for therapy sessions; now, she runs to her therapists, holds their hands, and blows them kisses.
For Occupational Therapy, her OT, Michelle, said, “Remi has gone from not wanting to interact with others or engage with toys to playing with anything appropriately that you put in front of her! She now has age-appropriate fine motor development skills and has significantly improved her sensory modulation skills in relation to tolerating various textures and tolerance to playground equipment; this has greatly enhanced her socialization and play skills.” Michelle added, “She makes me laugh with her sweet little sounds and it has been a pleasure to see her personality blossom this past year!”
Today, Remi is thriving and doing most of the things a toddler loves to do – watch learning videos by Ms. Rachel, explore, play with toy cars, sing, and “make” music. She is a cheerful, sweet, determined, and loveable little girl. On March 6, 2024, she had her first graduation from therapy (with more to follow), and she will soon celebrate her third birthday with a “Grand Three (Prix!)” race car themed party. Although Remi has experienced a great number of challenges and medical diagnoses in her (almost) 1,000 days of life, she continues to push forward and beat the odds. She is lucky to have the support and love of her parents and family, as well as the dedication and knowledge of her therapists, to guide her along the way. They will continue to cheer for her and be there to hold her hand when she needs it. And in the end, she will come out stronger and more resilient and will continue to be – as her mom calls her – a “little warrior”.
