How to deal with a brain-injured child

A support system
To do all this, we have a team of more than 20 volunteers -- family, friends and neighbours take time out of their busy lives to help. Organizing all the schedules and the ongoing training of volunteers is time consuming, but Dylan's amazing progress has kept everyone motivated and gives me the stamina to keep it all going.

Our family has made many sacrifices for Dylan. Because I do therapy with him every day, I was unable to go back to work as a marketing consultant, creating an added financial strain on our household. We have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on trips to consult with specialists, therapy equipment and extra child care for our other children. If not for the extraordinary generosity of Dylan's grandparents, I don't know how we would have raised the necessary funds.

Anything is possible
Today, Dylan has come further than we or any of his doctors would ever have imagined during those bleak early days. In many ways, he's a typical toddler. He loves music, trucks and balls, and playing with his older brother and sister. His vision is limited, but he can recognize things like people and pictures. He walks, runs and even talks, although mostly in single words and couplets. Happy and full of laughter, he begs for hugs and kisses and melts in my arms when I pick him up.

Having seen him come so far, I have an unwavering faith that anything is possible. Our goal is to continue with Dylan's therapy until he catches up with his peers; we want him to go to public school just like any other kid. The higher we aim for Dylan, the higher he'll climb. This is our little boy, the one doctors said would probably never walk or talk. The heart-wrenching irony of Dylan's first complete sentence sends a surge of hope and joy through my heart: “I see you.”

How to prevent toxoplasmosis
At any one time, one-third to one-half of all people are chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, says Dr. Rima McLeod, a professor at the University of Chicago and an expert in toxoplasmosis treatment and research. For the most part, though, our immune system keeps the parasite in check so we never develop visible signs or symptoms of disease, and some of us are blissfully unaware that we ever carried the parasite, she says.

It's a different story for women who are pregnant. If exposed to the parasite before pregnancy, a mother's immune system protects her and her baby when she does get pregnant. However, acquiring Toxoplasma gondii for the first time during a pregnancy is dangerous because the fetus's immature immune system is less able to mount a protective defence against the disease. The fetus may develop serious complications, such as eye diseases, hearing loss and cognitive or motor abnormalities.

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