p.e.i. couple grateful for community support that helped secure private care for their son with cerebral palsy
5 minute read
kate desroches, left, and spencer rossiter hold their two children, millie and elliot rossiter. elliot, 2, was born with cerebral palsy.
kristin gardiner
/
journal pioneer
central lot 16, p.e.i. — when elliot rossiter was born, his parents didn’t know what the future would have in store for him.
he was sick at birth and spent the first three months of his life in the hospital, battling apnea events and viral meningitis.
“it’s just something that passed on from me to him during the birth process,” reasoned his mother, kate desroches. “i must have had a cold that passed onto him.”
the illness, said elliot’s father, spencer rossiter, was challenging for the young family, who had planned for a healthy baby and expected to go home two days after their child was born.
“right after (desroches) gave birth, it might have been almost 10 minutes that he had to get hooked up to a breathing machine,” he said. “and then probably six hours later, we were on our way to the iwk.”
when desroches was pregnant with the now two-year-old, she had no complications, and there was no indication of anything out of the ordinary with elliot.
by all accounts, it was a perfectly typical pregnancy.
but even given time to let his illness pass, elliot still wasn’t the perfect picture of health, and it became clear something else was causing his struggles. he was developmentally delayed, including his mobility not being on track.
“after three months, he was able to go home, on home oxygen and a monitoring system, he was tube fed,” said desroches. “the apnea stopped after that.”
it wasn’t until elliot was 10 months old that doctors determined what was going on with him and made their diagnosis of cerebral palsy.
“it was expected,” said desroches.
rossiter echoed, “we kind of had a hunch.”
“we sort of had a clue,” desroches continued. “but it doesn’t make it any easier. you have to let go of what you envisioned for your child.”
challenges
although the couple knew about cerebral palsy before elliot came into their lives, they had plenty to learn about its types, how different it can be from person to person, and the challenges that often come with the condition.
advertisement
specifically, elliot has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, meaning it impacts his entire body. even so, desroches has noticed him growing stronger over the years and said he will continue to do so as he gets older.
“he can sit with assistance from us, which is something that, when he was younger, he was not doing at all,” desroches said. “he can walk in his walker … he’s being introduced to power mobility soon, so a power chair, which is super exciting.”
while elliot is also non-verbal, he’s shown interest in alternative communication. he has a tablet with images he can press to make his points known, and his parents have also been introducing pictures to him and watching where his eyes are looking — that technology is called eye gaze, and allows a person to control computers just by looking at images on a screen.
they won’t push him toward any specific method of communication, said desroches, but it’s just about what works best for elliot, and allowing him to learn at his own pace.
“i’d say the ipad is definitely the one he uses the most,” said rossiter. “it’s a lot easier for him to use.”
spencer rossiter, left, and kate desroches have nothing but gratitude toward the family members, community members and strangers who have lent a hand and assisted them while they care for their two-year-old son elliot, who has cerebral palsy.
kristin gardiner
/
journal pioneer
getting support
even with cerebral palsy and being non-verbal, his parents remark that he has a strong personality; he’s funny, loves to laugh and draw and isn’t afraid to state his opinions.
“he lets you know if he wants something,” rossiter said.
desroches laughs in agreement. “he loves being outside, he loves going for drives, he loves walking in his walker, he loves playing with cars. a boy’s boy through and through.”
as a newborn, elliot had frequent visits to prince county hospital for physical and occupational therapy, as well as medical appointments at the iwk. now, they only have to travel to halifax three to four times a year.
wanting the best for their son, the couple also pursued supports they couldn’t get locally or through the public health-care system, through a private clinic in calgary.
advertisement
“they have such a bigger population, denser population, that they see so many kids like elliot,” said desroches, “whereas here on the island, we’re lacking resources, funding, time. over there, they have that.”
the clinic follows an intensive therapy model, where elliot is seen every day for occupational, physical and speech therapy, and can be seen for a longer amount of time than he can get in the maritimes.
“they also have different access to certain equipment they use, and teaching-style techniques,” added rossiter. “it is a lot for some kids; they do make them work pretty hard, but all those kids are capable of doing it.”
but calgary is far, and travel can be pricey. hope air — a charity that helps families with costs associated with long-distance travel for medical appointments — was willing to assist the family with flights and accommodations. but, as the clinic is private, the organization needed permission from health p.e.i. – it was denied.
“it’s just unfortunate,” said desroches. “it’s hard when a non-profit charity is actually trying to help islanders who need the help.”
this year, they’re trying a private clinic in toronto, and are excited to continue giving elliot the best opportunities they can.
“without the help from our community, and the support, we wouldn’t be able to make these trips,” said desroches.
it takes a village
despite the challenges that came with elliot’s first months of life, the family was never alone.
desroches has an aunt who lives in halifax to support them during their time at the city’s children’s hospital, and both sides of the extended families would often travel to lend a hand, even in little ways like bringing them food.
“definitely, our village is strong,” said desroches.
“there was a lemonade stand that elliot’s cousins threw for him,” she added. “super successful, like they were amazing, and i guess they’re already talking about their next lemonade stand. which is awesome.”
advertisement
but it’s not just familial support, but the whole community has lent a hand.
in february, the holland hurricanes set up a gofundme that raised almost $6,000, and held a benefit game to raise money for the family. the lot 16 hall put on a comedy show that raised nearly $5,000 and members of desroches’s family have set up raffles through facebook.
“(with) everything going on in the world right now, it’s so nice to see that community is still there, support is still there, the love is still there,” said desroches. “everyone showing their support, and backing us, and supporting our little family just means everything to us.”
- stay informed: don’t miss the news you need to know. sign up for our newsletter today.
kristin gardiner is a reporter for the journal pioneer in prince edward island. she can be reached at kgardiner@postmedia.com.
share story
