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Denise Smith Amos and Jessica Brown report:

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: biennial budget, charter schools, disabled, education, funding, gifted, John Kasich, mason schools, ohio

Grace Bagadiong, 10, of Mason, suffers from an undiagnosed neuromuscular condition that’s left her on a ventilator and confined to a wheelchair. She participates on a cheerleading squad for children with special needs called the Sparklers through TNT Nitro Elite in Maineville. Photo provided

If Gracie Bagadiong was walking in the clouds after throwing out the first pitch at a recent Cincinnati Reds game, on Sunday she’ll be roping the moon.

The 10-year-old Mason girl with special needs will be treated to a surprise visit with the Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders before watching the Colts take on the Buffalo Bills that afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Stephanie Pemberton, senior director of community relations for the Colts, read about Gracie’s first pitch in a story published Sept. 22 by The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Gracie was selected for the honor by the pulmonary department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, which hosted a special Reds night for patients and their families.

The Mason Intermediate fourth grader suffers from an undiagnosed neuromuscular condition that’s left her wheelchair-bound and on a ventilator for the past two years. She’s also deaf, has low vision and peripheral nerve damage has left her without use of her arms.

That story referenced Gracie’s dreams of seeing herself on the Jumbotron at Great American Ballpark and becoming a Colts cheerleader.

The organization reached out and offered Gracie and her family four lower-level tickets to Sunday’s game valued at $500, a parking pass, pre-game sideline seats and the rare chance to meet the Colts cheerleaders before the game.

The opportunity is an exclusive one, indeed.

Only a “limited number” of people are invited to pre-game sideline visits and “very few” get to meet the Colts cheerleaders one-on-one in their locker room, said Pemberton.

“When you read something like that, and you see how much Gracie has had to work through and overcome at such a young age – and then you know that you have the opportunity to be a part of that – that’s what it’s all about,” she said. “Her story is one that touched our hearts and to be able to be a part of that story, it’s awesome.”

(more…)

Posted in: Community, News |

Tags: Tags: cherie bagadiong, cincinnati reds, colts cheerleaders, disabled, first pitch, grace bagadiong, gracie bagadiong, indianapolis colts, los angeles dodgers, mason intermediate, medical mystery, nolan bagadiong, special needs

Private schools gain in quest to help disabled students

Denise Smith Amos reports:

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: disabled, jon peterson special needs scholarships, lou blessing, mason schools, ohio, private schools, scholarship, schools, special needs, tracey carson, voucher

Gracie Bagadiong has three dreams in life: To train dolphins, become an Indianapolis Colts cheerleader and see herself on the Jumbotron at Great American Ball Park.

On Sunday, one of those dreams will come true.

The 10-year-old Mason girl with special needs will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Cincinnati Reds take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gracie, a fourth-grade student at Mason Intermediate, was selected for the honor by the pulmonary department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, which is hosting a special Reds night for patients and their families. Big brother Jacob will assist her on the field.

“She feels like she’s a superstar,” said Cherie Bagadiong, Gracie’s mother.

Gracie suffers from an undiagnosed neuromuscular condition that’s left her wheelchair-bound and on a ventilator for the past two years. She’s also deaf, has low vision and peripheral nerve damage has left her without use of her arms.

It’s a medical mystery that’s baffled doctors since her symptoms began at age 3, her mother says.

Gracie was born healthy and reached normal developmental milestones through her first years, learning her first words and taking her first steps. When she developed an odd gait, her parents – Cherie, a stay-at-home mom, and Nolan, a systems engineer at a financial company – thought she’d outgrow it.

It wasn’t until Gracie’s language skills plateaued that the Bagadiongs grew concerned.

The diagnosis was surprising: Sometime between ages 2 and 3, Gracie had become severely and profoundly deaf. What’s more, X-rays showed scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine.

Gracie Bagadiong of Mason at a Cincinnati Reds game in 2011. Rosie red is her favorite mascot. Photo provided

The findings launched a slew of visits to specialists, none of whom could offer any answers. Gracie was fitted with a cochlear implant and enrolled in a school for deaf children.

But the troubles didn’t end there. At age 5, Gracie developed a lazy eye and vision issues. Doctors diagnosed her with optic nerve atrophy, a condition that causes the optic nerve to deteriorate. Then, over a period of two weeks, she lost all control of her arms.
Experts at Cleveland Clinic examined Gracie and ran tests but her condition remained a mystery.

After a series of steroid treatments, Gracie regained some use of her arms and began to walk with the assistance of a walker. But about two years ago, she began losing strength in her core. Within months, she was unable to walk or even sit up without assistance.

Soon after, Gracie began to breathe funny. Then she stopped breathing.

Cherie recalls driving 90 mph on Interstate 71 to Cincinnati Children’s, where a team of doctors and nurses revived a blue Gracie.

After a 57-day hospitalization and consult at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore yielded no answers, doctors placed Gracie, 8 at the time, on a ventilator and feeding tube and outfitted her with a power wheelchair. The Bagadiongs had to adjust to sharing their home with round-the-clock nursing care.

“It flipped us upside-down,” Cherie said. “It’s constant planning who’s doing what with Gracie at what time.’’

Gracie’s limitations don’t stop her from leading an active and fulfilled life, her parents say. She joined a cheerleading squad for children with special needs and paints pictures for her friends using a mouthstick and touch screen computer. She likes to watch sports games with her dad and is always up for shopping with mom.

“She doesn’t think of herself as disabled. She never gets frustrated with herself about what she can’t do. She’s more focused on what she can do,” said Cherie.

The past year has yielded some hope. Doctors have begun weaning Gracie from the ventilator and she’s gained weight – she’s up from 42 to 52 pounds – and strength.

“Medically, it’s terribly difficult. When she improves, we get excited,” said Cherie. “You think how her life would be different if she could do gymnastics or run, but she’s so cute and funny I wouldn’t want her to be different. She’s the way she is because her whole life added up and she’s Grace.”

Posted in: Community, News |

Tags: Tags: cherie bagadiong, cincinnati reds, disabled, first pitch, grace bagadiong, gracie bagadiong, los angeles dodgers, mason intermediate, medical mystery, nolan bagadiong, special needs

A former Mason Middle School teacher’s family is among the recipients selected for the 26th annual Wish List program, a joint effort by the United Way of Greater Cincinnati and Enquirer.  More than $3.5 million has been raised and donated since the program started in 1986. A series of 12 short profiles of people who need your help appear in the Enquirer this month, with information on how to donate.  Money contributed beyond what these 12 people need will go to help people in similar circumstances.

Kyle McIntosh, 5 is autistic. He needs a special wheelchair to allow his mother Kelli McIntosh to take him out shopping and on other trips with her. He easily gets tired if he walks by himself. Here they shop in the Target store in MIddletown, one of Kyle's favorite places, he mimic's Elmo, his favorite Sesame Street character. The Enquirer/Glenn Hartong.

In many ways, Kyle McIntosh is like any other boy his age.

The 5-year-old from Monroe likes to swim, go on car rides and watch football with his dad, Jesse.

But Kyle, who suffers a variety of physical and developmental disabilities, faces more barriers than most children.

Kyle McIntosh, 5 is autistic. He is growing fast and regular changing tables are to small for him and often too short for his mother Kelli McIntosh. They need a special table to make the job of changing Kyle far easier. The Enquirer/Glenn Hartong.

He was diagnosed with hypotonia shortly after birth. The condition, marked by low muscle tone, makes it difficult for Kyle to walk long distances and makes him more prone to falling.

Kyle also has epilepsy and autism. Although he has yet to say his first word, he communicates through a special application on his iPad and knows basic sign language.

“It’s been a journey,” Kyle’s mother, Kelli, said. “He reaches his milestones, but way delayed.”

As Kyle gets older, the challenges of caring for him mount. Both parents are tall – Kelli is a willowy 6-foot-1 and Jesse towers at 6-foot-6 – and Kyle is quickly shooting up.

Lifting and carrying their 55-pound son is becoming more difficult for Kelli and especially Jesse, who suffers from degenerative discs in his back.

His parents are hoping that an adaptive stroller designed for disabled children and a wall-mounted changing table will help them better care for Kyle and allow the family more freedom to go places.

“We’ve had him on a typical stroller, and it’s just not big enough for him,” Kelli said. “This will grow with him and will be a necessity for years and years.”

The family borrowed a donated stroller this summer from Abilities First, where Kyle attends preschool. The increased mobility allowed the McIntosh family to take its first vacation in years.

“Before, we were limited on where we could go,” Kelli said. “If I just wanted to go to the mall for fun, that was really impossible.”

An extended-length changing table would make it easier to change Kyle’s diapers and clothing through adulthood.

“Right now, we change him on the floor of our living room. That’s the only place where we can lay him down and do this,” said Kelli.

“We hope that one day he will be able to go to the restroom, but based on his development now, it could still be a few years before we get to that – or it could be for life, we don’t know,” his mother said.

Insurance doesn’t cover the costs of the stroller or changing table and the family’s finances are sapped.

Kelli taught at Mason Middle School for seven years before leaving her job to take care of Kyle and his younger sister, Kaylie.  She now works part-time as a bookkeeper.

Jesse works as an over-the-road truck driver, which keeps him away from the family for days and weeks on end.

“Even though life is difficult, Kyle finds happiness in even the smallest things. He has a laughter that’s contagious,” said Kelli.  “He’s still a blessing and joy, and I would do it all over again.”

Give to the Wish List

Posted in: Community, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: autism, changing table, child, christmas, cincinnati enquirer, disabled, epilepsy, hypotonia, kelli mcintosh, kyle mcintosh, mason middle school, monroe, stroller, teacher, united way, wish list program

A New Chance Foundation is looking for sponsors for its first annual “Swing into Action” golf outing set for Sept. 10 at the Golf Center in Mason.

Founded by Mason residents Ashley and Beth Chance, the foundation helps provide specialized equipment to local children with mobility-related disabilities.

The couple hopes the fundraiser will allow the foundation to increase its support from eight children last year to 12 children this year.

“We’re hoping area companies will become as passionate about this cause as we are,” said Ashley Chance. “We’ve been very fortunate because our experience shows us that once companies and individuals become acquainted with us and see what we do, they become ambassadors for the foundation, urging others to support us as well.”

About 130 golfers are expected to take part in the outing. Sponsorship opportunities range from $150 to $5,000.

The couple were inspired to form the organization by the Akers family of West Chester, who was featured on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in 2008.  Thousands of volunteers helped construct an ADA-compliant home for the family, whose three children suffer from disabilities.

Beth Chance–-then Beth Chapman–a first-grade teacher at Hopewell Elementary in the Lakota Local School District, taught Brooke Akers, who has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a wheelchair.  She and other teachers helped the family apply to the show.

Ashley and Beth met at an Akers family fundraiser and married shortly after.  All three Akers children were in the wedding.

For more information, call 513-492-9110 or go to www.anewchancefoundation.org.

Posted in: Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: a new chance foundation, akers family, ashley and beth chance, children, dependent, disabled, extreme home makeover, golf center in mason, golf outing, independent, mason, mobility, swinging into action

From Enquirer reporter John Johnston comes a heartwarming story of a Mason couple who’ve shown remarkable perseverance in times of difficulty — and whose efforts now honor other parents of special-needs children.

They never thought of themselves as pioneers, never considered themselves more remarkable than any other family.

Dolores and Pat Diangelo of Mason were raising three boys, ages 11, 13 and 15, when their daughter, Gina, was born 41 years ago.

“We just treated her like a normal kid, like the rest of the kids,” says Pat, who like his wife is now 80.

But in 1970 much of the rest of the world wasn’t ready to embrace a child like Gina, who has Down syndrome. Doctors and a priest advised the couple to place the girl in an institution. Federal legislation requiring public schools to educate students with developmental disabilities was still years away.

And yet, the Diangelos were able to cope because they possess a quality that researchers call resiliency.

The Diangelos and 19 other families raising children with severe disabilities were the focus of a research project conducted in 2007 and 2008 by Thomas Knestrict, an associate professor in the Department of Childhood Education and Literacy at Xavier University, and colleague Debora Kuchey.  The purpose was to identify key characteristics of resilient families.

The research also led to production of a video, called “Welcome to Holland,” that featured the Diangelos and two other families.

The Diangelo Resilient Parent Award now honors other parents of special-needs children who show many of the same qualities as the Diangelos.  It’s named in honor of Pat and Dolores, who Knestrict says are his heroes.

The award will be given this year to Shelly and Marc Hingsbergen of Bridgetown, who have two special-needs children, at Friday’s third Remarkable Families Symposium, a joint project of Xavier and the Center for Infants and Children with Special Needs at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The all-day event connects families who have children with special needs to support agencies, expert speakers and other resources.

Johnston spoke with the Diangelos about those early years after Gina’s birth.

The Diangelos began advocating for their daughter almost from the moment she was born. Pat, the former owner and publisher of the Pulse Journal weekly newspaper, recalled standing in a hospital hallway in February 1970.

“A doctor came out and said, ‘You got a baby girl.’ And then he said, ‘She’s a mongoloid.’ ”

“We didn’t even know what that was,” Dolores says.

The next day, a pediatrician told them that Gina was unlikely to live past age 4 or 5.

“He didn’t give us any hope whatsoever,” Dolores says.

When their Catholic priest advised the couple to put Gina in an institution, Dolores told him: “Father, I can’t do that. God sent her to me for a reason. I don’t know what it is. But I have to take care of her if I can.”

And when Pat spoke to their three boys, “They said, ‘Dad, that’s our sister. Bring her home.’ “

The Diangelos enrolled Gina in a number of mainstream programs and activities, including preschool.  After a few years in public schools, Gina transferred to a program run by what is now the Warren County Board of Developmental Disabilities. In the mornings, before she left home, Gina worked one-on-one with a tutor.

The efforts paid off: Gina learned to read.  Today, at 41, she also writes and uses a computer.

“She has brought a lot to our lives,” Dolores says of Gina. “We thank God every day for her.”

Posted in: Community, News |

Tags: Tags: cincinnati, diangelo resilient parent award, disabilities, disabled, down's syndrome, families, gina diangelo, mason, pat and dolores diangelo, remarkable families symposium, special needs children, welcome to holland

Hard work pays off in more ways than one for special-needs students at Mason High School.

About 30 students in Marcia Koepfle’s work-study program began assembling more than 1,000 backpacks for the Cincinnati Reds Heads Kids Club club earlier this year.

In exchange for their efforts the Reds have invited the class to be their guests at the May 19 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“We want to show them how the work they have done has impacted the Reds Heads Kids’ Club,” said Patrick McGrath, who organizes promotional events for the Reds.

The Reds will provide tickets for students and teachers, along with some team rally towels and two baseballs signed by Ramon Hernandez. Gapper, the Reds’ mascot, will also spend the day with students.

The partnership began after Koepfler visited Great American Ball Park last summer and noticed a group of children with the backpacks.

“Somebody has to put those backpacks together and I knew our work-study kids could do that,” she recalled.

She contacted Reds staff members, who were happy for the help.

As an organization, the Reds are always looking for ways to work with members of our community,” said McGrath. “We are so happy that we can create this opportunity for these students in order to prepare for their future.”

“The way these kids’ faces light up when they see the Reds Rover and Reds’ merchandise that we bring is a gift to us in itself.”

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: backpacks, cincinnati reds, disabilities, disabled, marcia koepfle, mason high school, reds heads kids club, special needs, students, work study