Blindness Testimony

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This blindness testimony is about a child who was diagnosed with blindness and cerebral palsy.

Dawson Bateman
“Our son Dawson was diagnosed at age four months with nystagmus and strabismus. Since he was our eighth child, by the age of six months we also began to notice his development was sharply delayed when compared with his older siblings. After seeing a highly respected pediatric ophthalmologist, we were given no hope beyond repeated surgeries. One doctor even told us Dawson would suffer cortical visual impairment (blindness), have physical coordination problems and learning disabilities regardless of anything we might do to try to help him.

Within a few days we met another parent whose daughter also had nystagmus and strabismus, and she encouraged us to investigate information which gave us hope. With the help of our friend and all the information we could gather, we developed a moderate home therapy program for Dawson and began working with him right away. After 3 months of this work (at age 8 months), Dawson (who had been immobile except for rolling) crept twelve feet nonstop. This gave us the incentive we needed to pursue more help for him.

After both parents attended a course in Philadelphia, Dawson was evaluated and given a program by Matthew and Carol Newell. We have pursued this program as rigorously as our large family could manage. Dawson’s abilities have skyrocketed and he is now age 28 months and has accomplished the following:

• combination walks and runs one mile nonstop, twice daily
• reads over 500 words
• identifies over 200 pictures
• speaks over 200 words and 25 two-word phrases and more each day
• is learning math quantities and beginning simple equations
• is learning to greet people properly by saying “hello” and making eye contact
• progressed from 55% of normal function at age 10 months to 96.1% of normal at age 26 months

Our family has been drawn together as we work to help Dawson. It has been hard work, which is NOT finished, but it is worth it because it is bringing success. The doctor who gave us such a negative prognosis for Dawson recently said, "Whatever you are doing, don’t stop!" We are thrilled with the miracle of Dawson's progress and will continue our work with him until he is completely well in every way -- which is something all the professional advice had said was impossible.”

Donna Bateman
Texas, U.S.A.

Child Functionally Blind, Deaf and Insensate

Shafer Morrissey
“When we first met with Matthew and Carol Newell in April of this year we were living in a very different world than we are today. Back then, our outlook on everything was grim. We had been told that, although our son somehow survived all the heart failures and surgeries that he was not predicted to do, he would not have much of a life. The oxygen deprivation following his cardiac arrests had taken a toll on his brain. The prediction was that he would never hold is head up, be able to sit up, crawl, walk or talk. Shafer was functionally blind and deaf, he could feel almost nothing to the touch, and he had a weak cry. The physicians could offer us no hope for helping him and we were frustrated with the lack of resources available to help such an injured child.

Then we met Matthew and Carol! We cannot express the impact that they have had on our lives. The first time we met with them, they evaluated Shafer and determined that he was 2.4 months old neurologically even though he was 8 months old chronologically. They gave us an individualized program for Shafer and we returned home. Our days, though long and grueling, are now filled with hope and promise for our son’s future.

The Newells are the first people to look at Shafer and see the marvelous boy that he can one day become. With their guidance, we know that Shafer will reach his full potential and have a more fulfilling life than we could have imagined. He is already proving his doctors wrong. We returned to the Family Hope Center in July 2002.Shafer had grown three months neurologically in three months - an incredible accomplishment! We are not certain what Shafer’s ultimate abilities will be but we are certain that without the Family Hope Center he would not be the incredible, active, loving little boy that he is today. We will be forever grateful for the Newells and their appropriately named Family Hope Center.”

Harmony Morrissey
Arizona, U.S.A.

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