From the moment Sawyer Clements entered the world, he has had to work hard to reach where he is today. Just two weeks before Christmas in 2009, Sawyer was born not breathing. Because of that lack of oxygen, he started seizing and was rushed to Emplify Health by Gundersen from his home in Viroqua, where he spent the next 21 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). At that time, it wasn’t clear to Sawyer’s parents Nick and Amanda what the long-term effects of that event would be in his life.
While in the NICU, Sawyer received a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Then at age 6, he spent more time in the hospital receiving blood transfusions to recover from internal bleeding. Following that were esophageal complications and subsequent appointments, multiple endoscopies and an invasive stomach surgery, resulting in many, sometimes lengthy hospital stays.
Since then, Sawyer’s seizures have mostly stayed under control thanks to medications, though he still must be diligent about what triggers them and keep his rescue medication on him wherever he goes. And although he has anklefoot orthoses (AFO) braces to assist with walking due to his cerebral palsy and continues therapy to strengthen his speaking and muscles, Sawyer’s found an activity he loves: sled hockey.
His favorite activity? Sled hockey. His favorite sport? Sled hockey. What he does for fun? Yep, plays sled hockey. So, when Children’s Miracle Network® (CMN) found out about his passion, they helped pay for ice time so Sawyer could participate with a local team. That’s in addition to the gas cards Nick and Amanda received for his appointments and a Sami camera that detects seizures while Sawyer’s asleep. That support made life a little lighter for the family.
“Having CMN in our community is so important and valuable. When we were in the hospital and truly in despair and disbelief, a small and meaningful gesture of food vouchers reminded us to eat and take care of ourselves and our son,” Amanda says. “Sawyer lives for playing sled hockey, and it has been life-changing for him. It wouldn’t be available without the help of CMN.”
If you would like to support Sawyer and families like his, visit our CMN webpage or call (608) 775-4424.