Dakota Goodman

Dakota Taylor Goodman was born on 8/21/1997. He was diagnosed with Lennox Gastaut Syndrome last year after suffering with seizures since he was three. LGS is the most severe form of childhood epilepsy. It doesn't respond to drug therapies very well. It is hard to control. When he was 2 years old, he began having problems with his vision. It was minor at first. It has been getting worse. When we visited the Opthamology Dept. at Riley Children's Hospital, we discovered that he has black spots on his retinas. These spots can't be removed or repaired. Dakota will go blind. He has lost nearly all of his vision now and can't walk unassisted. He had a muscle biopsy done on his leg to test for Mitochondrial Disease, but we haven't gotten the results yet. He has been fitted for Orthotics to help him walk, and we're looking for a walker for him.

He still has very little vocabulary (50 words). He goes to preschool 4 days a week and will be attending a Special Ed. Kindergarten class next year. He loves school.

Dakota likes hotwheels, eating, playing ball, getting happy mail, jumping on his trampoline, blocks, dinosaurs, and reading books. He doesn't like cold weather, rain, or having his face washed.

Update on Dakota:
On May 16, 2003 we found out that Dakota has been diagnosed with Batten Disease. He is in the Late Infantile Stage, and his life expectancy is 8-12 years. Dakota seems to be doing better for now. He's stil unable to walk though. I was able to get him into a walker, but he can't use it. I'm looking to find him a wheelchair. He's getting too big for his stroller. At 42 lbs, he's too big to carry, especially since I'm expecting a baby in September.

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Message from Tanja Theriault:

The Hardest part about running the outreach is seeing little ones just pass too soon.

Dakota went home to Jesus on July 26, 2005