On a chilly day in December of 1996, a miracle happened. On that cold December day, Brett Fein, the third of four children born to me, Joseph Fein and my wife, came into the world. He was early. Very early.
Never, never, never give up. - Winston Churchill
On a chilly day in December of 1996, a miracle happened. On that cold December day, Brett Fein, the third of four children born to me, Joseph Fein and my wife, came into the world. He was early. Very early.
Brett was born approximately four months premature, and the prognosis was grim. He weighed just 1lbs 9 oz. at birth, and was no bigger than my hand. The doctors at North Shore University Hospital didn't give us much hope. Children born before the 23rd week of gestation do not have much of a chance, they said. Even if Brett were to beat the odds and survive, there was no way of predicting what his quality of life would be.
But Brett did survive. The tiny child that was one of the smallest babies ever to receive care at North Shore's neonatal unit, beat the odds and began making progress. After four long months in the hospital, our miracle baby finally came home. A long road of therapy and developmental challenges were ahead, but we were determined to help Brett live as normal a life as possible.
Fast-forward to 2008. A healthy, fun-loving child with eyes as blue as a bright spring sky bounces happily on a trampoline in our backyard. The super-preemie that wasn't supposed to see his first birthday is now over eleven years old. The road has been long not a day has gone by since leaving the hospital that Brett hasn't received some type of therapy, from physical therapy to speech therapy to sensory integration and special education class instruction. Brett has many more mountains to climb and, with the help of family and friends and a team of specialists, he will continue that climb.
Brett's mother, my wife Bonnie, continues to be at the forefront of his therapy and educational planning. Brett's development has also been helped by the love and understanding of his brother and sisters, and our kind-hearted neighbors and their children, who have gone out of their way to make him a part of their activities.
Some hurdles still remain; Brett, for example, is speech and language impaired. He has difficulty with social interactions. But in many ways, Brett is like any typical eleven-year-old boy. He enjoys bike riding, rollerblading, playing his GameBoy and bouncing on the backyard trampoline with his brother, sisters and friends.
We remain determined to help Brett live a happy, fulfilling life, which is why we continue to push forward with appropriate therapies. His milestones may now be different from those of a typical eleven-year-old boy, but they are important accomplishments for him. This summer, with the aid of a shadow, Brett will attend a regular summer camp for the third year.
As his father, the experience of Brett's birth and development, and the success he has achieved despite the longest odds, inspired me to devote 100% of my law practice to educational law and helping families receive the special care, services and education their children require. It is important for parents of special needs children to know that while the road they now travel may not be the one expected to be on, they do not have to travel it alone. I will help them navigate it so that their children receive the appropriate services they need to achieve the greatest success possible.
