Austyn

 When Austyn first arrived ten weeks ago he was severely malnourished, weak, scared and trapped in his own small world. None of these were a surprise as they were all he had experienced in his 11 years of life.

I was excited at his arrival; eagerly anticipating the remarkable changes that were to happen in him over the coming weeks and months.

The changes which have happened in Austyn have already exceeded my expectations. He is an incredible little boy who is soaking up all the love and joy that is now being poured into him on a daily basis and visibly changing as a result of it.

In therapy, Austyn has become interested in toys- banging on the drum, pressing buttons on the musical toys and taking rattles off a tower. We've found that he loves movement- swinging, bouncing on the ball or being tipped upside down!

Everyday Austyn is relaxing more and more; yesterday for the first time I heard him laugh- a relaxed, care free laugh of pure joy. A laugh that should have been heard a long time ago, but something I am sure we will hear a lot more of in the coming days and weeks.

Austyn is also getting stronger, gaining energy and is realising there is lots of exciting things around him worth exploring. When he first arrived he did not have the strength to sit up by himself, but now has started crawling and will take weight through his legs.

I continue to have great expectations for this little boy, and am so excited to see what great things his future will bring.

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This post was written by our Occupational Therapist, Jenny