Getting an early and accurate diagnosis can be the difference between a life fighting to survive and one filled with adventures and joy.
It was when Walter was approaching his first birthday that Erin felt that something was wrong with her son. He wasn’t meeting the developmental milestones of other children his age and his lips would turn blue when he cried. Getting the proper diagnosis was hard – really hard.
Erin says she brushed off the early signs that something was wrong. At 12 months, he couldn’t sit up and had no words. “We kept telling ourselves that boys develop more slowly. We thought he’d catch up.”
When Walter didn’t pass an auditory test, the real search for answers began. “The first diagnosis we were given was cerebral palsy,” says Erin. “I remember being angry and feeling like we’d been brushed off after a very short consult. I was convinced the diagnosis was wrong. Although I did not believe my son had cerebral palsy,” adds Erin, “I did know that he needed help.”