The Beacon 2019 Issue 4 The Beacon 2019 Issue 4 | Page 6

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Sawyer Pittsley.
By Amber Pittsley, Sawyer’s Mom
Sawyer’s journey to Little Light House began on
November 1, 2013, the day he was born. Our sweet,
stubborn boy was a week late, and due to fears related
to ingestion of meconium I was induced. After 32 hours
of labor the doctors said they had to take Sawyer out via
Cesarean Section. Into the world he came, and as far as
my husband and I knew, he was perfectly healthy.
Around 6 months after Sawyer’s birth, we began to
notice that he was not meeting normal developmental
milestones. We enrolled him in Sooner Start where
he began Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy
at home. His progress was slow, and we had no
explanation as to why this was. Eventually, we heard
about Little Light House from our Sooner Start
therapists and at the age of 2 years old Sawyer
was added to the waiting list.
In the meantime, we were still searching
for a diagnosis and trying to figure
out what was causing him to be so far
behind developmentally. At 2 years
old Sawyer wasn’t crawling. He wasn’t
pulling himself up, talking or doing most
of the things children at his age typically
do. We were referred to numerous
specialists throughout Oklahoma, as well
as Kansas, Arkansas and Texas. Finally in
2014 an MRI was ordered by a neurologist in
Oklahoma which showed Sawyer had a hypoplastic
cerebellum on the right hemisphere of his brain. This
means that his cerebellum is slightly smaller on the right
side compared to his left. He was also born without a
posterior pituitary gland. Even though this did not give
us an overarching diagnosis, it was enough to help us
begin to treat each condition as individually needed.
In August of 2017, we got the call that Sawyer’s name
had finally reached the top of the waiting list at Little
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Light House, and he was invited to start school that
October. Sawyer is now in his third, and final, year.
We are so grateful that he had the experience he did
attending this amazing school. Since he began in 2017,
we have seen so much growth and progress in his
development. He has developed socially, interacting
with others more. He made his first friend which is most
likely the highlight of his time at Little Light House for
his dad and I. As most parents of kids with special needs
know, having a kid that is considered “different” can be
very isolating. Learning Sawyer had a friend meant the
world to us. He has also progressed physically and is
now able to stand with support, take steps
with help, sit independently, “army
crawl” and feed himself. He
achieved milestones that he
may never have achieved
without attending Little
Light House.
To those of you who
volunteer, donate or
support this wonderful
organization in any
way, we can’t thank you
enough. To the teachers,
therapists and all the staff I
hope you realize that most, if
not all, of these kids would never
achieve some of the things they
do this soon without the interventions
that Little Light House provides. You are changing lives.
Period. The head start that they receive from attending
Little Light House is invaluable. As we all know, these
kids are starting out life with the deck stacked against
them. They deserve any help and support they can get,
and the Little Light House gives them that leg up they
need. THANK YOU!