Teddy Rosewarne has defied expectations since the day he was born and thanks, to a gift from Satan’s Little Helper, he’s got the tools to do so for another few years.
You could describe three-year-old Teddy as a miracle child. After all, this is a boy who was resuscitated nine times and continues to amaze doctors.
“He blows everyone way,” says his mum Jo. “He has a really cool spirit that makes him happy, caring and full of life.”
Unfortunately, it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Teddy or his family. His birth was complicated. It left him with cerebral palsy and epilepsy and Jo was told he’d never walk or talk.
That he can do both adds to the sense that he’ll continue to forge his own path in life, no matter expectations.
Overcoming the odds
Teddy still has challenges that make his life a little different, but you wouldn’t bet against him overcoming those in time.
“He overproduces saliva, so he needs to sleep on his side in case he chokes on it. He finds it hard to chew simple foods and to hold utensils and he struggles to physically get onto the toilet.
“His speech can be hard to understand, although he speaks Te Reo Māori and English!”
After living life with limited mobility for two years, he’s keen as mustard to make the most of his new-found ability – but that can end up causing him problems as well.
“Before he learned to walk, he was very sedentary because he couldn’t crawl, but now that he’s about to run, he never wants to stop and slow down!”
Rest is important, especially for little kids, but try telling that to Teddy.
A ball of energy!
“He gets excited and doesn’t understand that he needs to rest, which can be really dangerous. When his muscles get too fatigued, he’s a lot more injury prone. I remember once he’d been playing, didn’t want to stop, and then fell and gashed his head so badly we needed to call an ambulance.”
To give Teddy a chill-out zone and a place to rest, recover and recuperate, Satan’s Little Helper sent him a blackout tent and a sensory swing.
“The tent is a really cool place for him to go and chill out before he reaches his breaking point. When he’s in there, he’ll play with his toys and get the time he needs to rest. The sensory swing is really important too, because it helps him sleep! Sometimes we’ll go three or four days with just a couple of hours sleep each night because of his muscular pain.”
Sleep and rest are important for his growth and development. Without them, Teddy won’t continue to defy medicine. But thanks to his new twin tools, he’s better placed to do that than ever before.
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