Kids & Family
Giving Daniel A Better Life
A Sandy Hook mother works hard to care for her son with disabilities. It isn't always easy.
Daniel Hasselberger gets home from school and settles into bed to watch television at his home in Sandy Hook. He's aided by his mother, a nurse and a ceiling-mounted rail that helps him get in and out of bed.
Since birth, Daniel has suffered from a condition called polymicrogia, a severe form of brain damage. Unable to eat or speak, and with a history of hospitalization, 15-year-old Daniel's life has been challenging. But although he has dealt since birth with developmental delays, feeding issues and breathing problems, Daniel nearly always has a smile on his face. His mother, Julie Hasselberger, works hard to make sure of that.
"Our journey has been trying to find ways to stay here and keep things together," she says. "But it's riddled with hospitalizations and emergency trips."
Daniel has been hospitalized in the past: most recently, he had surgery for scoliosis. His mother says different problems have arisen as he's gotten older, and she's tried to care for them all.
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Daniel gets to go to school: at Reed Intermediate School, he attends special classes that allow for therapeutic time. At home, a nurse is on-site to care for him for most of the week.
"The nurses are great," Julie says. "When Daniel's in a a good state of health, I feel calm. If Daniel is sick, congested, having a fever or seizure, I'm here with the nurse."
Julie also has the support of her friends and a caring community. She uses GoFundMe, a website designed to raise funds online, to provide for, as she says, "equipment that insurance doesn't cover, special therapies he needs, a service dog, aquatic therapy, medical programs not covered by insurance, Wheelchair lift van repairs, supplies for basic needs, accommodations for accessibility, help during long hospital stays, and so much more."
Now she hopes to get Daniel a service dog. Since the Dec. 14 shooting, Daniel has enjoyed spending time with therapy dogs at Reed, and Julie says a full-time canine companion could be just the thing for him. She thinks she's found the perfect dog, and is using the site to raise funds to pick it up.
Julie regularly updates the GoFundMe page with news about Daniel. In her most recent post, on Monday, she wrote:
"Last night Daniel was moaning in his bed, went in and found his temp has gone from normal to 102.5 in two hours time ... Today its quiet, and I can rest but I'm concerned and waiting for Doctors to call.
[A]nd I have all of the regular joys of busy momhood to accomplish as well.
THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING DANIEL'S BLOG, I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL. A SPECIAL PERSON ALWAYS TELLS ME TO :
CHOOSE HAPPINESS."
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