April 3, 2017

by: Guest Contributor

Team Jacob at the Race to Empower

This week’s blog was written by Katie Ball, mom of 5-year-old Jacob. Last year was Team Jacob’s first time participating in the Race to Empower, and they are already training for this year’s race on May 7, 2017.

Jacob started receiving therapy at UCP when he was 3 years old. We had just missed the Race to Empower that year, so 2016 was our first year participating. Our two years with UCP have been some of the best for Jacob. We went through two years of therapy at larger, hospital-based therapy settings and it wasn’t for us. Anyone who knows Jacob knows how friendly and spunky he is, which also comes with a degree of “feisty-ness” that didn’t mesh with traditional therapy settings. He hated going and fought them (his therapists) every step of the way. Some of his therapists made him more miserable, while some gave in to his fits; neither option helped him make any progress.

LeafBridge at UCP was different from the get-go. They embrace each child and develop a plan and therapy routine that works for each child. As a teacher, I expected this from anyone working with children and was surprised how hard it was to find. LeafBridge therapists sincerely care about each child and what is best for them and their families. While Jacob may not be excited to go to therapy every week, it’s no longer a battle and I can always hear him laughing while I’m in the family waiting area.

Because UCP has meant so much to our family, we wanted to get involved in raising awareness as well as supporting our favorite cause. We are very lucky that Jacob is independently mobile. Yes, his legs get tired since they’re weaker than most 5 year olds, but he can certainly get around when he wants to. My favorite memory of last year was Jacob crossing the finish line – a half dozen times! Every time he could see someone from Team Jacob he would run out to meet them and cross the finish line with them again; each time just as excited as the time before.

This year we are excited about expanding our team. Jacob has invited some of his friends at school and their families to join us at the race, as well as our extended family and friends. Jacob has started “training” by running with me around the neighborhood to build up his endurance. We just made it 2 miles last week with over a month left before the big day! So many people have helped Jacob in his short 5 years that we want to teach him now how important it is to give back to those who have helped him. Go Team Jacob!

If you would like to support Team Jacob in their efforts, click here to make a donation in Jacob’s honor: https://fundraising.active.com/fundraiser/TeamJacob8

---