“Last year, we were in a very different place as a family. Fear and worry for Paxton overshadowed everything. Now I’m hopeful about his future and his chances for success and happiness in life.” --Lolita Harris, Paxton's mom
Thanksgiving Day would be a fitting birth date for her first child, Lolita Harris thought. Having survived the emotional upheaval of miscarriages, it seemed like a good sign—an indicator that this child, to be named Paxton, would thrive. Despite dissent from several family members about continuing the pregnancy, Lolita approached becoming a mother with hope and expectation as well as a measure of trepidation.
Ultimately, Thanksgiving did not double as a celebration of Paxton’s birthday. Lolita gave birth on August 22 to a child entering the world 14 weeks premature. Paxton entered the world at just 26 weeks gestation and weighing only 1 pound, 14 ounces.
Paxton spent his first nine weeks of life in the neonatal intensive care unit. When Lolita brought him home, she “was scared to death.” In addition to a new mother’s typical anxiety, Paxton’s fragile health was a significant reason for concern. “I was scared to pick him up. He was just so tiny,” said Lolita.
A nurse referred Lolita to Tennessee’s Early Intervention System (TEIS), the state’s voluntary educational program for families with children ages birth through two years with disabilities or developmental delays. The family began receiving services in October 2009.
In the summer of 2010, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, TEIS awarded a contract to Siskin Children’s Institute to provide home visiting services to 220 families in 10 counties in Southeast Tennessee. In July 2010, Lolita and Paxton joined the new Home- and Community-Based Early Intervention (HCBEI) program. HCBEI offers support to the adults in a child’s life—in Paxton’s case, his mom Lolita. Lolita said that the developmental information offered by an Institute early interventionist has been indispensable in providing her the tools to work with Paxton during his daily routines. Paxton also has seen Regina Gargus, MD, FAAP, medical director at the Siskin Children’s Institute-T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital Center for Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics for an initial developmental behavioral assessment and will have follow-up visits throughout the year.
Today, Paxton is thriving. It has been a challenge to help him make up his developmental deficits and will take dogged determination as Paxton matures, but Lolita’s devotion to her son and a strong support system—family, friends and Siskin Children’s Institute—help Paxton’s future look bright.
“Last year, we were in a very different place as a family,” said Lolita. “Fear and worry for Paxton overshadowed everything. Now I’m hopeful about his future and his chances for success and happiness in life.”
View the video above of Paxton in action. Paxton's mom, Lolita, is talking with the HCBEI program coordinator, Amy Jenkins, and early interventionist, Susan Barnett, during a home visit.
