My son Kai is 9 years old with Cerebral Palsy due to a birth injury. He requires a very heavy wheelchair and help with all tasks of care. He is also non-verbal. Kai has been a classmate of Gianna’s for over 6 years. It’s beautiful watching him grow, both cognitively and physically, however it has become (and continues to be) a challenge for me to lift him and his wheelchair in and out of my minivan. As his sole caregiver, it can be rather taxing on my back and body to constantly be lifting him and his equipment over and over. As many know, with regard to special needs children, especially those that are handicapped, there are endless amounts of equipment/gear needed over the years and insurance will not always cover these items. Much of this kind of equipment costs a small fortune. Jamie, Gianna’s mother, told me to apply for support through Gianna’s Path of Love. Not only was I so hugely impressed to see Jamie realizing her vision of creating a non-profit to help special needs families like us, I was so grateful to receive the gift of a portable aluminum ramp to help me wheel Kai’s wheelchair in and out of my van. It’s been a godsend to our family and has truly helped my overall well-being as I continue to care for my growing special child. Thank you to all the donors to Gianna’s Path of Love for making the gift of the portable ramp possible, it’s helped us immensely.
Sincerely Margaret Drake (mom of Makaio “Kai” Drake)
This Splashy bath seat for Malachi has been more helpful than words can ever express. It has given him the freedom to enjoy baths by sitting up and splashing and playing! He can now enjoy baths with his big sister and interact in the bath. Before Malachi used a baby tub and had to lay down. This was not ideal as he grew in length becoming too long for the infant side of the tub but lacking the core strength and coordination to sit on his own. Malachi also began to roll during baths which is not ideal or safe! This seat is soft, comfortable, lightweight and multifunctional! We look forward to using it at the park and zoo splash pads as well as the backyard in the water this summer! This will give Malachi the ability to have the ‘normal’ toddler experiences but a little help from this special seat! Insurance denied our claim for this seat and only offered us a very large, PVC and mesh bath seat that set him out of the water (which was not Ok for temperature regulation) and only served the purpose of bath time and took up the whole tub so he couldn’t bathe with his big sister and play! When I reached out to Jamie from GPOL she immediately got on it to help us get this seat! The request form was easy and the were very speedy to order the seat and have it hand delivered! Overall my husband and I, as well as Malachi are so very grateful for something as ‘simple’ as a special needs bath seat that has increased our sweet little guys independence, play time (even splashing in tub with arms and legs is great therapy now) and elevated the ease and fun of baths! We cannot thank GPOL enough for the gift of this bath chair!
My son Isaac was given 24 hours to live when he was just 4 days old. God had other plans. That was the beginning of what has been a long journey that has only just begun. Isaac just turned 3 years old on February 14, 2021. He cannot walk, sit, crawl, or do most of the “normal” things a 3-year-old should be able to do. He was diagnosed with infant spasms (epilepsy) at just 6 months old. His brain was damaged due to lack of oxygen while on the ventilator when he was born. We have been treating him with medicine and aggressive therapy since then. Resources are hard to come by as we are missionaries in Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in the world. Just to find a good neurologist was a miracle. God has been so faithful though every step of the way to provide what we need when we need it and not a single moment late.
This is just one testimony to the goodness of God in our lives and his abundant love for Isaac and how he is in every detail. I am the founder of Deeply Rooted Grounds a for-impact organization feeding, educating and much more for thousands of kids and families in Nicaragua. My long-time good friend Caterina Griffith works hand in hand with us as a board member and as director of our new program for kids with special abilities called Miracle House. Caterina is well known and respected throughout the community in Jacksonville Florida and Director of Special Needs outreach for Eleven22 church. One of the things Isaac needed was a stander to help him build his muscles to be able to stand and eventually walk. I visited, called and looked for several weeks for a stander for Isaac but could not locate one in country at all. They weren’t even available for purchase. I began the search and could only find standers that were thousands of dollars and that didn’t include shipping it to a third world country. So, I naturally reached out to Caterina for help. She said she would see what she could do to help. That’s were God showed up big!!
Caterina made a phone call to Jamie who has a beautiful daughter named Gianna. Jamie founded Gianna’s Path of Love to help others who have kids with special abilities just like her daughter and my son. Guess who just happened to know a family who no longer needed the stander they had and wanted to donate it to someone in need of one. How amazing is that!!! Within two weeks of me asking Caterina, they were able to get the stander picked up and dropped off at my brother’s house. Jamie even helped us out to cover $400 of the shipping expenses. Without Jamie and her beautiful heart to help others this would not have been possible. Gianna’s Path of Love is nothing short of a miracle to my family and many others. I am beyond thankful for impact it has had on my son and how he has progressed so much in the few short months we have had the stander. It fits him perfectly and we believe it is a miracle from heaven. Just like Gianna and Isaac.
Jamie and her organization are making a deep impact on lives in a very tangible way! I feel it and see it every day now that my son has a way to stand up and walk in Jesus name!
Nathan Pendleton
President & Founder Deeply Rooted Grounds.
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We are sending a stander to Nicaragua!!!!
Please review this amazing video of our delivery of the stander to Special Needs Director Caterina Griffith. She will help to have it delivered there. Please check back later for the video of them receiving it! We are so excited to be able to help this family!
This is a video of Gianna and Chris with Special Books by Special Kids and how she communicates without saying a word. (We do not own the rights to the music)
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