Thank You! - From Damian Jr.

THANK YOU!

As we quickly close out 2010 and usher in a new year, we wanted to say thank you. Thank you for being apart of a sea of love and support for our son and family as we have embarked on a $60,000 fundraising project with three main goals: (1) modify our home for his accessibility, (2) obtain a new vehicle to transport him and his “stuff” safely, and (3) cover the expenses for his neurologic music therapy sessions.

With your help, we have raised close to $32,000 in grants, donations, discounted materials, donated services, and monetary gifts. Here is what we have achieved together!

Home Modifications
We were able to successfully complete Phase 1 of home modifications – transitioning Damian Jr to the main level.
 Beautiful, thick laminate flooring and quality padding for entire main level was significantly discounted.
 Accessible ramp for front door access was approved.
 Countless hours of labor were donated to install the flooring at no cost.
 Other Phase 1 tasks were completed to include door widening and installation and painting, etc at no cost.
 Quality daybed and foam mattress was donated for his new room.
 Multiple instruments for Damian’s music room were donated (chimes, triangle, piano, bells, shoe taps, etc)

Vehicle
 Transportation services were donated.
 A beautiful 2002 Jeep Cherokee was donated and towed to us.

Music Therapy
 Payment for 24 music therapy sessions was donated.

Damian Jr is THRIVING, and we are grateful for all of those prayed for us, encouraged us and donated financial resources and items to meet his needs.

Special thanks to our parents, S. Simmons and the Aaron Family with Woodstock Outlet, S. Remick with Floor Décor Outlets, JJ with Home Depot, Dare to Hope Foundation, Fragile Kids Foundation, DreamHouse, Anderson Family with Royalty Transportation, Crute Family, Bouldin Family, owners of Prizm Builders, Robinson Family, DaPonte Family, McCrary Family, Drake Family, Boyd Family, Williams Families, Madison Family, Rivers Family, Ford Family, A. Marzetti and Family, J. Warren, D. Carde, D. Brooks, and all those who gave at Damian Jr’s 6th birthday party and towards his fund.

Thank you for showing God's amazing love to us! May this new year bring joy and hope to you and your family!

Hopeful,
Damian, Zarat & Damian Jr.
www.damianjrstory.blogspot.com

2010: “The Year of Firsts”

2010: “The Year of Firsts”
As we reflect, 2010 was a year of hope, progress and breakthrough for our son.

This is the first year that Damian Jr….

*Received a Character Education Award (Integrity) @ his school.
*Won first place in his grade level for the Visual Arts contribution in his school’s yearbook.
*Stood with minimal adult support for more than 28 minutes while playing drums and singing loudly.
*Learned and explored communication on his 1st high tech device (Dynavox)
*Began wrestling his dad and winning.
*Took steps for the first time in his gait trainer/walker.
*Pedaled for the first time in an adaptive bike.
*Selected as 1 of 2 students in the State of Georgia to participate in a pilot inclusion program, where he spends 2-3 hours daily in a mainstream first grade class.
*Enjoyed respite at FOCUS and Dream House
*Played his keyboard while standing.
*Received over $30,000 in grants, donations, discounts, and gifts from family, friends and organizations to help make his home/car accessible and to help cover costs of music therapy. We are halfway there!
*Used sentences like “I did it!” and “I did good!”.
*Enjoyed the company of his talking parrot.
*Began repeating mealtime prayers.

Grateful. Encouraged. Overjoyed.

"We Hope & Pray Damian Jr Proves Us Wrong..."

“We Hope and Pray Damian Jr. Proves Us Wrong…”

“We hope and pray Damian Jr. proves us wrong” is a resounding life statement for our son. This is the statement that the doctor repeatedly confessed with tears in his eyes as he recounted the trauma that our son experienced during the very first moments of his life. He was certain that it would take a miracle to overcome the medical team's professional prognosis.

During delivery, Damian Jr. experienced a severe sudden brain injury that adversely affected all of his body systems and organs. Once born, he was resuscitated for 30-40seconds. And after the first few hours of his life, many of his systems and organs had amazingly rebounded, but there were major concerns about the injury to his brain and what the implications could mean for Damian’s quality of life. According to the doctors and all of the initial tests, his outlook looked very, very bleak with very little hope. So for the next 4 weeks he remained in Intensive Care fighting for his life and proving them wrong.

And still six years later, Damian Jr is proving them wrong! I was reminded of this defining statement during an educational planning meeting last Friday for our son. Damian Jr was selected to participate in a pilot inclusion program that the GA Department of Education is launching. Only 2 students in special education were selected in the whole state, and Damian Jr was one of them! He will be spending 2-3 hours daily in a 1st grade general education class, starting in November.

During Friday’s planning session, the team responded to the question, “Who is Damian Jr.?”

Check out the responses:
• Happy
• Spunky
• Determined
• Intuitive
• Musical
• Engaging
• Social
• Funny
• Polite
• Opinionated
• Affectionate
• Joy filled
• Involved
• Talented
• Smart
• Quick
• Sweet
• A Leader


We are so grateful to Damian’s teachers, principal, and team at Kincaid for believing the best about him and to the GA Department of Education for piloting this program. Please continue to hope and pray that Damian Jr. and all involved will surpass all expectations!

Under Construction

Under Construction

Think on this...we have been raising funds to make our home handicap accessible for my son who has special needs. We are well into the first phase of this process and things are a bit of a mess. There is dust everywhere inside of the house, and we have a massive amount of debris outside. We can see steady change and improvement, but the process has my family disheveled and out of sorts. We have had to embrace the reality that this is the new normal, at least for a while. The interesting thing is that I am learning a lot about life transformation as I watch my home renovation.

One lesson I have learned is that whenever a major change needs to happen there is usually destruction that must happen first. Whether quitting smoking, or trying to be a more empathetic person we usually struggle when change starts in our lives. Things get ugly before they get pretty. Another learning is that everyone in the family is affected when an adjustment begins in the life of one person. You can't avoid it. We are communal beings, and when a person is being changed we all have to give them space.

The truth is that we are and should ever be under construction. That is because no person is perfect, and who doesn't want to grow to reach his or her full potential. But, when people are in transition we need to allow things to be messy and give them an opportunity to make the change. We can desire the needed change so much that we can despise the necessary process. The Bible says, "As all of us reflect the Lord's glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory". 2 Corinthians 3:18 As my house is being changed, I hope my life is as well. Just a thought
Written by Damian Sr.

The Sounds of Greatness

THE SOUNDS OF GREATNESS

Ludwig Van Beethoven, the master classical pianist and one of the greatest wonders in the world of music, was deaf himself for the last 25 years of his life. He started showing his incredible genius at a very early age. Beethoven’s work has and will forever remain one of the finest in the world of classical music. He continued with his incredible work and compositions even through his later stages of debilitating deafness. He overcame.

Ray Charles was an American musician and pioneer in the genre of soul music, rhythm and blues, gospel, country and pop music. Charles started to lose his sight at the age of five and went completely blind by the age of seven. The Rolling Stones ranked ray Charles number ten on their list of the 100 greatest artist of all time. In 2004, and voted him number two on their November 2008 list of "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time". He overcame.

Stevie Wonder is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Stevie Wonder was blind from birth. Wonder signed with Tamla records when he was eleven and continues to perform and record for the label. He has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and won twenty-two Grammy awards -- the most ever won by a male solo artist. On December 1, 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. He is overcoming.

Damian Jr is an emerging musician who too is overcoming adversity. Despite his developmental challenges, he has cultivated a vast musical rolodex, perfect pitch, incredible rhythm and good syncopation. He enjoys playing chimes, keyboard, bells, cabasa, guitar, drums, etc. He learns musically without a doubt. Since he has difficulty clapping his hands, he clicks his tongue instead. While enjoying worship, classical and fun music, he sings, moves, and taps to the beat. He finds such joy and life in his music.

Special Thanks to Megan Weatherford, Neurologic Music Therapist and Tim Villegas, School Teacher/Musician for helping him cultivate his musical gifts!!!

Superhero & Champion

Superhero & Champion

My wife has always called me my son's superhero. It stems from the first days of his life when I was the primary. I was the one who watched him emerge from the womb blue, saw him take his first breath, was the one fighting with doctors initially when they were saying he needed to be institutionalized long term, etc due to the initially poor prognosis. My wife had recently had surgery, and I had to be what both she and my son's hero. The other reasons that she calls me a superhero is the fact that Damian Jr. is a total daddy's boy, and now he is my full time job. So yes, I will embrace that designation, but she is undoubted his champion.

I remember six years ago when tubes coming out of every part of his little body, and my wife struggled to pull herself up to his bed to see her son. Having had a major surgery, this was no small feat. I tried to explain to her everything that was explained to me while she recovered, and she just stroked his head and whispered into his ear what would be the defining words of his life, "Keep Fighting, just Keep Fighting". That was all she had that day, but she would quickly model that statement.

Before she was well enough to move around, she was working to make sure that our son had everything he needed. It started with his breast-feeding as she was in tears making sure that he had what was most nutritious. I soon had to go back to work so she took the lead. There was meeting after meeting with doctors and specialists. She was interviewing therapists, finding programs, and firing people who weren't in agreement with what we believed God was doing in his life. She was a force to be reckoned with.

She eventually went back to work and he to school, but this process repeated itself. She would be in constant contact with his teachers to ensure his progress. If she thought that a person was giving up on him or was resolved with where he had come thus far, then she would go on the attack. There where even moments when she had to let doctors go. They would look at her like she was crazy, but she had told her son to keep fighting, and she wasn't going to do anything less.

Recently, we were the given the financial figures that would be necessary to make our home and lives more accessible for our son that were truly beyond what we could do on our own. Mommy to the rescue, and this blog was birthed. My wife refused to be stopped, slowed, or shushed. She has made it up in her mind that Damian Jr. would get everything he needs to live a healthy and a happy life. It's become a part of her personal mission. I am now his primary caregiver, but I can't out work his Champion.

Well, her birthday is this week. She is in need of a break as most Champions are, and I am working hard to give her a brief moment to rest. The one thing you can do to make her birthday extra special is to give to Damian Jr.'s medical fund. Like all Champions her greatest wish if for victory in the battle. To see that her son has what he needs would be the best birthday present she could ever get.

Written by Superhero aka Damian Sr.

Still Breathing...

Still Breathing…

I came across a box of photos of Damian Jr being resuscitated in the delivery room. When Damian Jr was born, he came out blue and was not breathing. The medical staff invested 30-45 seconds resuscitating him.

I was unaware that all this was happening. The doctors and nurses intentionally did not indicate that anything was wrong as to not put me into to shock. All I remember is one of the nurses crying and whispering in my ear with such joy and relief, “He made it…”. My initial reaction was, “Of course, he made it!”. I no idea what our son had just experienced.

My husband, on the other hand, witnessed every second. He kept pacing back and forth and taking pictures. He too was crying while holding it all together. And he finally shared that our son almost didn’t make it. BUT he was breathing.

About the Breathing Process

You have to breathe because all of the cells in your body require oxygen. Without oxygen, your body wouldn't move. It would be like a parked car with no battery. The car might have gas, but without a battery, you are not going anywhere! So you might have blood in your body, but without oxygen, forget it! You receive oxygen from breathing in air, and then the oxygen goes to your blood which is then circulated throughout your entire body.

As you journey through your day breathing, consider…
 Every minute we breathe, we take in 13 pints of air! That is we breathe about 6.15 liters of air every minute.
 We breathe about 9 to 20 times every minute. Through every breath, we breathe in about half a liter of air.
 We inhale and exhale air about 22,000 times per day and in the process, transport about 300 cubic feet of air (which is about 8.5 cubic meters of air)!
 Human breathing mechanism is called tidal breathing, as air comes out the same way it goes in.
 We exhale about half a liter of water vapor in a whole day.
 Breathing is initiated by the diaphragm, which is a stretchable muscle under the lungs. When it contracts, the volume of the chest cavity rises and the air pressure drops. That is what enables the high pressure air outside, to enter the lungs and makes them expand like balloons.
 When the diaphragm expands, lungs are emptied of air and we exhale it outside.
 When air passes through the nose and into the nasal passage called the windpipe, it gets filtered, moistened and heated.

Today, I am so grateful that I have these pictures to remind me that miracles still happen every day.

So be encouraged today because you are STILL BREATHING. Hope you enjoy one of Damian Jr’s favorite songs – In the Sanctuary by J. Moss (based on Psalm 150).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkXESb0b9oQ

In The Sanctuary

Sittin here think 'bout times
I thought I wasn't gon' make it
Times I should've been dead
And been gone But God felt different
But I'm still all because of His goodness
I'm a living witness miracles still fall from heaven

He moves when we don't expect Him to
He knows the doors that we face
And He speaks right before we stop believin
He shows His love through his grace

I'll praise Him in the sanctuary
I'll praise Him with the tremble and dance
I'll praise Him with the trumpet and symbol
Since I'm breathin, I'm gon praise Him again

Sittin here think 'bout times
I thought I wasen't gon' make it
Times I should've been dead
And been gone But God felt different
But I'm still all because of His goodness
I'm a living witness miracles still fall from heaven

He moves when we don't expect Him to
He knows the doors that we face
And He speaks right before we stop believin
He shows His love through his grace

I'll praise Him in the sanctuary
I'll praise Him with the tremble and dance
I'll praise Him with the trumpet and symbol
Since I'm breathin, I'm gon praise Him again

I'll praise Him in the sanctuary
I'll praise Him with the tremble and dance
I'll praise Him with the trumpet and symbol
Since I'm breathin, I'm gon praise Him again

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Go on and get yours
Now let's dance!

J Moss

THE PARENTS' PLEA

THE PARENTS’ PLEA

The Overcomer
Damian Jr. is a young man full of joy, laughter and musical passion who happens to be medically fragile. He endured a global brain injury at birth and a 26-day stay in the intensive care unit. He has multiple severe medical diagnoses and is currently wheelchair dependent (but determined to walk). He inspires people, young and old, to hope against all odds!

The Challenge
Damian Jr. continues to overcome the obstacles set before him. Currently his home, car and lack of insurance coverage for music therapy have become major barriers to his care, growth and development. “Without intervention his prognosis is poor. It would be a significant intervention to modify his home environment to assist with his medical needs.” – Pediatrician

The Current Situation
Damian Jr. is becoming extremely difficult to care for and transport based on size and full dependence on caregivers for his basic needs of bathing, toileting, eating, etc. We need to move him from upstairs to main level bedroom and have consistent flooring throughout the main level for his walker and wheelchair. Since he is in a critical window of progress, we must ensure his home/car are handicap accessible and ensure that he gets the critical therapy he needs.

The Big Picture
We hope and pray that Damian Jr. WILL…
 Enjoy his caregivers with the right equipment, space, and safety precautions.
 Access fully his environment without barriers.
 Walk throughout his home.
 Cultivate his musical passion.
 Communicate with those he loves.
 Work with his caregivers as they safely care for him without injury or pain due to lifting.
 Travel in a vehicle that safely carries him and all of his bulky and heavy equipment

The Goals
In order to meet critical needs, we need to raise over $60,000 for Damian Jr.
Critical Needs List
*Medical Home Modifications ($30,000)
-Modular Ramp System for wheelchair access into home
-Bathroom modification from half to full handicap accessible bathroom
-Handicap accessible doorways for bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen
-Complete Flooring Change on main floor for easy access for walker and wheelchair
-New Bedroom Furniture and organization
-Technological Integration with Assisted Communication Device
*Handicap accessible mini-van with ramp system ($25,000)
*Neurologic Music therapy – 2 sessions per week ($6000/yr) – currently not covered by insurance
*Music Therapy Room ($2500)

We established a medical fund account through Helping Hands Ministries, a 501c3 organization that will give tax deductible receipts for both money and in-kind donations on Damian's behalf. Both individuals and organizations can give.


The Ways to Support – We Need You!
 Pray
 Donate items
 Make monetary contribution (one time or ongoing)
 Identify organizations that have charitable contributions funds
 Spread the word…Spread the word… Spread the word

To make an online donation:

1. Go to www.hhmin.org
2. Click on “Make a Donation”
3. View Project Category and Click on Medical Project in the drop down menu
4. View Project and Click on Boyd Family in the drop down menu
5. Complete Information

If you need additional information or have any questions or suggestions, please contact zboyd1@hotmail.com.

Thank you for your support!

Flooded

Definitions - Flooded

• To fill with an abundance or an excess.


• To become inundated, engulfed.


• To pour forth, overflow.


• To overwhelm

Today, I was flooded. We hosted a birthday celebration for our son. He was born on August 1, two days after his dad. Last year, Damian Jr had surgery around their birthdays so we were not able to fully celebrate. So this year, we had a surprise party for my husband and then a celebration for Damian Jr several weeks later so that each of them would have distinct, memorable experiences.

Over the past several weeks, I have been "welling" up with emotion and gratefulness as I have reflected on our 6 year journey. For the most fact, I tried to "control" my emotions. But today I was flooded. It was sudden and powerful. Flooded by the generosity shown to our family. Flooded by the powerful words of our guests during the celebration. Flooded by the support. Flooded by the amazing grace of God. Simply Flooded.

I am glad that I experienced "the floods" today. I trust that you too will allow yourself to be flooded with gratefulness this week!

Hope Against All Odds

This video was featured during the Weekend Services for Mother's Day 2008 at Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church in Atlanta, GA. Zarat was featured as a top model mom and shared Damian's story - HOPE against all odds. Enjoy this video - courtesy of Destiny.

A Sweet Melody

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.


When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil. His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming blood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope & Stay.


My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean in Jesus' name.


This song was my sweet melody as we would go and see Damian Jr during his 26th day stay in the hospital after his birth. Damian experienced a significant global brain injury during delivery, and the medical outlook was very, very bleak. I remember the words of one of the doctors as he shared the news of the trauma with tears in his eyes, "We hope and pray that Damian Jr proves us wrong...We hope and pray Damian Jr proves us wrong." Many of the doctors were extremely concerned that he wouldn't make it out of the hospital, and if he did, he would probably be like a vegetable.


So we were up against some scary, overwhelming, and confusing realities. There was nothing else we could grab onto for strength, stability, comfort, reassurance than Christ. We were literally experiencing "sinking sand". Standing on Christ and His promises was our our only real hope.


I can't remember how this amazing song, "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" by Edward Mote (1797-1874), came to be the perfect melody of my heart during this painful, gut-wrenching time in our lives. I just remember thinking about the tune and quickly looked through an old hymn book. I copied the page and took it with me to the hospital as we visited Damian Jr in the intensive care unit. I would sing this beautiful song of grace to him over and over and over again as tears swelled in my eyes. This song seemed to fully and completely capture all of my feelings, beliefs and convictions was we witnessed our son fighting for his life.


I am grateful for this sweet melody. It will always remind me of my hope! And I trust that you too will have a sweet melody to carry you through life's most challenging moments.