| Chase |
Chase laughs joyously. 
Chase enjoys a soothing soak. 
Chase laughs with his dad in a Spa by ThermoSpas. 
Chase plays and splashes. Now 5-Year-Old Chase Receives His Own Extraordinary GiftWHO: Chase suffers from Rett Syndrome, a neurological disorder that has caused his to regress and lose abilities--such as the use of his hands--over time. There is no cure. WHAT: 5-year-old Chase, a miracle gift to his parents, suffered a fall as an infant in the hospital, which resulted in a fractured skull. He now lives with spastic cerebral palsy and a number of other ailments. WHY: Several times every night, Chase wakes up crying because his legs hurt so much. His orthopedic surgeon has prescribed aqua therapy, but the facilities are just too far away and a therapeutic hot tub is not covered by insurance. But today, thanks to ThermoSpas, Chase will be able to experience the benefits of warm water therapy every day right in his own backyard. In a letter to ThermoSpas, Chase's mother explains: "Chase is such a blessing to us. On 9/11/01, the same day the world was mourning, our lives were changed forever! While at a doctor visit for our daughter, Danyel, we were sent to have a cat scan to check for a sinus infection. During the exam they called our doctor over to the hospital. They found a growth in her brain. We were immediately sent to Riley Children's Hospital where she underwent her first of many surgeries. The results of the biopsy confirmed our worst fears. She had a brain tumor. It was not just any tumor. It was an anaplastic ependymoma. Her prognosis was not good. This was a very rapid growing cancerous tumor. She died 5 months later on 02/08/02. I found out in May of 2002 that I was pregnant with Chase. My little 'blessing', we named him after his sister (Chase Daniel). He was this gift from God. Born premature, we waited until it was time for him to come home before we took his brothers to the hospital to see him. The night we took his brothers to see him was another day of tragedy in our lives. We were not able to see Chase until the doctor spoke to us. Our son had been involved in an accident. As a result, he suffered a fractured skull. Following that news, our lives have never been the same! Chase brings a smile to all of those around him. He is a very happy little boy. He never complains, which is so amazing to me. I am so blessed!" While pain is a constant for Chase, his inability to participate in "kid stuff" like running in the yard and roughhousing with his brothers can be even more heartbreaking. "Chase would love a hot tub for his pain and for physical therapy, but it would also be a wonderful and safe social place for him and his brothers to play," said his mother. A hot tub provides Chase with proven therapy:
Through its Seasons of Giving program, ThermoSpas donated a Triton Elite hot tub, which has 46 therapeutic jets and the "Ease of Use" commendation from the Arthritis Foundation. Dear ThermoSpas, We would like to thank all of you that were involved in picking our son Chase to be the June recipient of a ThermoSpa hot tub. Since its arrival we have seen a significant decrease in the tightness in Chase's legs and feet. We were very pleased to learn from Chase's orthopedic surgeon that the hip surgery that we were planning for this August has been put on hold for now. Since using the ThermoSpa, Chase has started walking long distances without any assistive device - up to 400 feet without falling. This is absolutely incredible! The bonding that we have been able to do as a family is also amazing! When the family is in the hot tub together, you would not know that Chase is disabled. He is able to just be a normal kid. He loves the color changing lights - he actually can change the colors himself. Green is his favorite! Chase does yoga stretches while in the water. He actually does most of them on himself now. Chase begs to get in the hot tub every night - even in the middle of thunderstorms. He sleeps throughout the night now. He used to wake up crying that his legs and feet hurt. We already felt so blessed to have Chase in our lives; never did we think we would be chosen to get this special gift from Thermo Spa. The words 'thank you' really seem so insignificant for such a significant gift. This is a tremendous gift that will keep on giving for many years to come. May God continue to bless all of you that are involved! Anna, Chase's mother |
