A Lite for Leah

Flower City Lodge 91 is a fraternal organization located in Rochester Ny. The lodge is associated with the Improved Benevolent Protective Order Elks of the World (I.B.P.O.E of W.). The lodge was organized April 6, 1906. The lodge has a rich history in Rochester of living up to the organization mission statemen of "helping those less fortunate than ourselves"

Leah is a sweet happy 4 year old who steals the hearts of everyone she meets. She is always full of smiles and gives the best hugs! At 4 months old she was diagnosed with strabismus. Her eyes were crossing because she wasn't able to use them both together. Leah had to get glasses to help strengthen her eyes and had surgery when she was 7 months old. Around this same time her parents were noticing she was not meeting milestones like she should. After an MRI showing abnormally small areas of the brain, most importantly the cerebellum, Leah was diagnosed with Microcephaly. Microcephaly is a rare neurological disorder in which the head is much smaller than average because the brain, as in Leah's case, was not growing as it should after birth. Leah's brain is still growing but at it's own slow steady pace. This diagnosis left a lot of uncertainty concerning what her life would look like and what her abilities would be. Leah has global developmental delay which is delay in many or all areas of development. As a baby she would just lay on the floor and stiffen her body. She never attempted to roll or move in anyway. Leah had to be taught each and every milestone. It took creativity to figure out techniques to show her, and it took a hands on approach of moving her body through the motions. Often it took months of practice before she could do it on her own. She has worked so hard to get where she is today, but still has a long way to go. She still lacks many motor skills like jumping and walking up and down stairs. She can't climb a playground structure without someone there to help her. Leah is very social. She loves meeting new people and wants to interact with other children but her struggles in learning to talk make this difficult for her.

Leah's parents learned about hyperbaric oxygen therapy through another mom that was using the hyperbaric chamber with her child. In a hyperbaric oxygen chamber more oxygen is delivered to the body at the cellular level. This means amazing things for the brain including stimulating the creation of new brain cells and new brain connections, promoting receptive and expressive language, improving movement and walking, increasing sensory and cognitive awareness, advancing social skills and interaction and many more benefits. Leah has been going to a clinic near her for a few months now and has made many gains since starting. Her vocabulary has increased greatly and her interaction with others has improved. She has become more and more cognitively aware. The daily cost of taking her to the clinic is not affordable for her family but we believe that she can continue to benefit from having a chamber in her home to use. We believe that everything we do for her can change the quality and course of her life.
       We are raising money so that Leah's family can purchase a chamber for Leah to use at home. Having a chamber at home will give her the opportunity to continue to benefit from this therapy. An opportunity for hope, and a life full of success and possibilities.