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Aidan DeFrates

Team Captain Team Aidan! Walk With Me Houston 2025

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Within the first few hours of my son Aidan’s birth, we were told he would not lead a normal life. As I lay in my hospital bed, doctors asked to speak privately with my husband. From the hallway, I overheard him say, “I don’t know how I am going to tell her this.” Aidan had Down syndrome, a hole in his heart, and severe epilepsy called Lennox–Gastaut syndrome. We were told that his EEG showed “no light,” meaning no learning would occur, and that we should prepare for the possibility that our little boy might never walk, talk, or learn.

We spent the first few years of Aidan’s life in hospitals, trying multiple medications and consulting various doctors. When Aidan was 22 months old, a team of specialists recommended implanting a Vagus Nerve Stimulator, a pacemaker for the brain. Six months after the surgery, an EEG showed remarkable improvement—there was now light, and learning could occur.

We knew that we needed to find a school.  We tried several different schools, and while they were good schools and caring teachers, nothing seemed to be the perfect fit for Aidan and his diagnosis. We were about to give up hope that we would find a school that understood Aidan.

Then, we found The Caroline School. What it lacks in size they make up for in heart! The school gives kids with neurological differences like Aidan, the chance to reach their full potential by identifying their STRENGTHS and works with them individually to address their specific needs, but at their pace.  An added benefit to The Caroline School, is that Aidan can utilize the Easter Seals therapy services. He attends physical, occupational, and speech therapies within the school day, which is such a great convenience.

Aidan is now 14 years old, and the child who doctors had once said would never be able to learn, is now able to follow directions, greet and interact with his peers, use spontaneous language on his speech device to communicate his needs and wants, almost feeds himself independently, and is learning to identify his name, sights words, as well as identify shapes and colors. His growth has been tremendous. Every day Aidan moves forward! He works hard to overcome all the challenges he has been dealt with in life and he does it all with a huge smile on his face. Aidan gets out of the car each morning and hugs his teachers. He loves his teachers, and they love him. As a parent, there is such a piece of mind to drop your child at a school every day where he is happy and loved.

We are walking in the Easter Seals, Walk With Me on April 12, 2025 to help others move forward! The Easter Seals Family is a fantastic community of supportive families traveling down the same road that we are. Whatever our struggle, there is a mom or a dad that has been there and done that. Having a sympathetic ear and a trusted group of advisors is beyond measure. These families know our hopes, our fears, our worries and concerns, because they have them, too. The administration and staff support families to help our kids in their lives, in and out of school. It is a team effort, and everyone cares deeply about the progress of the children who attend the school.

So, as we walk to move forward, we are not walking alone, and we hope you will walk with us! There are 14 other Aidan’s who rely on The Caroline School to make a difference in their lives, too!  We ask that you walk with us to support of our community to make sure The Caroline School continues to help these kids achieve their dreams for a long time to come!

- Kimberely, Aidan's Mom

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