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Colorado Gives Day: Featuring Taston
November 18, 2024
Creating Brighter Tomorrows: For Taston
While a majority of the services Foothills Gateway provides are funded through Medicaid, many people we serve have needs that are unable to be met through Medicaid plans and payments. Foothills Gateway maintains donor-supported funds that help us meet the needs of the people and families we serve by going beyond what Medicaid can provide. This week we can’t wait for you to meet Taston! He and his family were the recipient of some of these funds that met a very important need for Taston and his family.
Taston’s Swim Story!
Taston is a happy-go-lucky 9 year old boy who receives supports through Foothills Gateway! Taston’s favorite place to be is outside. He enjoys helping on his family’s farm, fishing, and riding his bike. His Case Manager, Hannah, explains, “Visiting Taston is always a hoot. I always leave him with a smile on my face and having learned something new.” He is an active kid always looking for his next adventure and finding new things to do. A new skill Taston has learned recently is the ability to swim!
Cayenne, Taston’s mother, first came to Hannah with a potential problem. Not only did Taston not know how to swim, but he spends a lot of time outside at his grandparents’ property, which has a lake. His family wanted to be extra cautious and get Taston water safe in case anything were to happen.
Taston has been taking swim lessons (on and off) for the past 2 years. Foothills Gateway was able to provide funding for these lessons and connect his family to a wonderful Northern Colorado resource: TheraSwim. TheraSwim is a company that specializes in teaching individuals with disabilities how to swim.
When he first started taking lessons, Taston was afraid of the water and did not want to get in the pool. Cayenne explained, there was a “sheer terror” when it came to Taston wanting to get in the pool. Now, Taston loves to swim! He loves to hold his breath and kicks all around the pool.
When Taston and his family go to their community pool, Taston loves to run into the water up to his shoulders and play! Swimming has become such an integral part of his life. He not only can keep himself safe in and around water, but taking swim lessons has had other benefits as well. Taston is a high energy, on the go kid, and being in the pool is a newfound way to calm himself and his sensory systems. Cayenne has also seen his listening skills improve since taking these lessons. “The instructors were great, pushed him hard, but just hard enough.” Now that Taston is more comfortable in and around the water, his family is happy to see him improve and any anxiety of him around the family’s lake has been alleviated.
Keep up with the rest of our 2024 Colorado Gives campaign by following us online @FoothillsGateway.