This Little Boy

 

First day of school August 25, 2006 We had no idea what we would be facing.

With all the excitement about my oldest son's Jonathan's upcoming High School graduation, it is easy to overlook that his isn't the only graduation coming up for us this spring.

Tate will be graduating 5th grade in June!

Tate is an awesome little fella. He reminds me so much of Jonathan. Tate cares so much about his school work. Making good grades is so important to him. He sees good grades as a reflection of his character and he always has cared deeply about that.

Just to know Tate is graduating on time with his class is a huge deal. When Tate was two years old he began having unexplained seizures.

It was the most terrifying ordeal as he would stop breathing. The seizures became really bad in 2006 and he was placed on the highest dosage of carbatrol that his weight limit could allow.

The carbatrol was able to stop the seizures. His last one came in October 2007 while we were at a Mountaineer game in West Virginia. But the carbatrol had terrible side effects. It affected his learning. Tate was unable to read on grade level. It was devastating. I had never had a child with a learning disability. Jonathan and Justin were both gifted children and grades and tests came easily for them. Tate was in Kindergarten when we realized we were going to be in a battle to keep him learning at grade level.

Tate's last seizure came a few hours after we took this picture.

It was so heartbreaking to watch Tate try his hardest and come up short for tests and reading quizzes. One day he told me, "Mom, you said if I tried my best I would do good but I tried my best and I still got a D". Because of his seizures, Tate qualified for special assistance in school. If it weren't for my sister in law telling me about this and Tate's kindergarten teacher pushing so hard for it, Tate might have fallen thru the cracks. He didn't and he continued to work very hard. He was kept in his regular class but received extra time for tests, more one on one tutoring and if he didn't understand, the teachers kept at it with him until he did. He also stayed after school several days a week. He never complained once about the hard work.

In February of 2010, he officially came off all of his seizure medications. Praise God! And it was as if his little brain had emerged from a deep sleep. He took off with reading and comprehension, things that had been his weakest points. He even made the honor roll. It was his proudest moment.

He was able to come off of all tutoring and special education classes this year too! This was even more impressive because due to John's job relocation, this is the third school Tate has been a student at.

Tate's graduation is going to be a very special occasion. Thru prayer, hard work, and many wonderful teachers, he overcame many odds. His life is one we are so proud of. I am very, very proud of Tate. His hard work, his beautiful handwriting, his love of God and the fact that he cares so much about his school work makes me a very proud mommy!