I am ex-military and facing challenges and testing my boundaries and limits was nothing new to me, but now that my child was not likely going to walk or talk, it scared me immensely. I felt so alone, and where I had expected to find support I was let down. All I knew was that I was his mother, and it was my job to do everything I could to get us through this.

Naturally we started on the conventional path; intense physio and occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, hydro therapy and more – it was overwhelming. I was guilt ridden and stressed, not to mention the financial toll, and the progress was slow.

I knew that we were just treating the symptoms but nothing was tackling the root cause – the brain injury.
I was concerned for Daniel’s future - but not only his future, when your child does not fit the mold neither do you as a parent.

Daniel’s challenges are enormous. He is quadriplegic with significant spasticity in his legs, he has a weak core and he walked pigeon toed. Daniel’s eyes do not function properly together so he has difficulty judging depth. He had no gag reflex and could not swallow for many years. His limited tongue control causes him to drool and he had poor speech.

 “Other parents don’t know how to treat you – there are no invitations to events, birthday parties or play dates”.

Furthermore, his immune system was poor so he suffered constant sickness, seizures. He had limited bladder and bowel control - the list goes on. I didn’t dare dream that Daniel might read, write or do maths one day!

I soon became “that parent” – the one continually advocating and pushing support for Daniel.

I was constantly advised by loved ones to “give up” – but I knew that I could not. I would not. I remained steadfast in my belief that the impossible is possible and then I heard Mark Wilson’s story and that led me to my guardian angels, BICT and Doman.

I finally had a way to actually help my child. I had a team who believed, like I did, that my boy was wonderful, gorgeous, loving and intelligent and with their help, I now have the key to unlock the child trapped inside who was just waiting to bloom and prosper!

Since starting our programme I no longer feel like a bystander, lost and overwhelmed. I am now in the driving seat of my son’s development. I understand my son’s brain injury, something that had never been explained to me before.
I finally understand him. This is not to say that life has suddenly become easy – it hasn’t.

We work most days 4-5 hours a day, our programme comprises of a number of elements including his diet, provision of supplements, oxygen therapy, cognitive and physical therapy programmes. What makes it work is that it is all in one place, I am not driving to multiple specialists who do not work together – it is all covered by the Doman team of highly experienced specialists and the programme personalised to Daniel.

Like so many of the families we work with Daniel's mum became quickly overwhelmed with the conventional treatments, struggled financially to meet all the costs and saw little progress. Knowing that she was treating the symptoms, not the cause she looked for more and eventually heard Mark Wilson’s story and met Shirley, BICT and Doman.

After 9 months of following the Doman Method programme, Daniel has shown exceptional growth. Neurologically, he has advanced by 5 months, a rate that is 118% faster than a typical child his age. Prior to starting the programme, his development was progressing at just 42% compared to the average. Some of Daniel’s key achievements include:

Daniel is now sociable, engaged, and able to have meaningful conversations. His language has improved significantly, transitioning from mimicking heard phrases without meaning.

No longer shy or anxious, Daniel has developed a more confident and outspoken personality.

Enjoys reading pre-teen chapter books and has become more proficient at typing and writing.

His mobility and control have greatly improved. He no longer experiences leg or back pain, and his limp is less severe.

Daniel has begun learning how to brachiate (monkey bars) a major skill that requires great stamina, strength, balance, coordination and visual ability.

Now able to understand game rules, humour, and sarcasm. He even learned and performed a card trick.

Immune System: Quick recovery from flu and illness, with fewer episodes than before.

CONVERGENCE
Significant progress in visual tracking and focus.

LATERAL REFLEXES (LIGHT REFLEX)
Near perfect, with marked improvement on both sides.

EYE COORDINATION
No more nystagmus, with strabismus in the right eye significantly reduced.

SOUND SENSITIVITY
Previously overwhelmed by sounds, he now copes much better and even finds humour in noisy situations.

Daniel can now cope with changes and routine and anticipates events without anxiety. His behaviour and overall interaction is maturing, along with self-discipline and taking more responsibility. He is able to use programme checklists to stay organized and independent with his programme and household tasks.

Daniel is confident in himself and his abilities. Proud and eager to share his experience with others, he was able to overcome his nerves and speak during a recent presentation.
He is more at ease with unpredictability, procrastinates far less, and is much more disciplined in his daily routine.

"Well done Daniel we are all so proud of the hard work that you put in and love seeing you achieve so many amazing things."

BICT

Maths
Daniel has gained understanding of how our number system works through exploring the 100’s board, along with the ability to apply his understanding to a variety of maths questions…. He understands and can apply the strategy of holding the biggest number in his head, and counting on or back to find the answer.
This is all massive progress since the start of the year when Daniel didn’t yet have a concept for how our number system worked.
The really exciting thing, is that he retains a good deal of these concepts very well, and can then build onto that foundation to progress the skills further. He loves his maths, and is willing to give everything a go. He is developing maths thinking!

Science
He is passionate about his science learning and astounds us with how much he retains over time, and the way he connects his learning across topics. For example, when learning about asteroids in space, he connected that to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs from his previous topic.

Pictured above: Sue Bufton (maths and science tutor - registered teacher)

In reading and comprehension there are a lot less verbal 'I don't know' answers.  Daniel will sometimes give an answer and then say, "wait, no that's not right", showing he is really thinking things through and then he will give the correct answer.  I have also noticed he is asking me more about the meaning of words to give him better understanding of what he is reading.  He is now able to scan a short paragraph to find information and can give a really great recount of a short story. 

Pictured above: Daniel & Shelley

I want to thank you all from my heart for all the support and funding you have given me since you began helping me in September last year.

It has not been an easy journey for me and my mum but I know that I would not be where I am today without your belief in me.   I am very grateful for all that you provide me – funding for the Doman programme, schooling and the oxygen concentrator.    I am working very hard on the overhead ladder that you also helped to arrange to have made for me by the Tauranga Men’s Shed. This amounts to thousands of dollars and I am super grateful.

The BICT believes in me and make me feel very special and I do not want to let you down.   I believe in myself now.   I hope that my journey to wellness will inspire others in my position too.

Your kindness and generosity is not taken for granted and I promise to keep working hard even when I do not find it easy as I know I am getting better each day.  I am very lucky to have all of you and the Doman Team too on my side.

Lots of love from Daniel xxxxxx