Support is Monitoring Health to Increase Independence

November 19, 2019

Meet Devin! He is a freshman in high school and, with some extra support, he has been able to return to public school after two years of homeschooling!

For Devin, support is monitoring his health so he can return to public school.

Devin has an autoimmune disease which can cause “thyroid storms” – increasing his heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature to life-threatening levels.

In order for Devin to go back to public school, his family and support team had to ensure that his heart rate would be monitored, in case of a potential Thyroid Storm, so that teachers and school staff can intervene as quickly as possible.

Thanks to donated dollars, Foothills Gateway was able to provide a Fitbit to fill this need in October – sending Devin back to school!

On top of this life-saving benefit, the Fitbit helps track Devin’s Sleep Apnea, providing further insight on how it affects his heart rate and overall wellbeing.

“We are so grateful for the access to technology that allows Devin to be included in public education and monitor his health,” Devin’s mom, Karen, explained. “He wears the watch day and night… we are able to monitor his sleep patterns and have been able to identify days when life may be more challenging when he is unable to get into REM and restorative sleep.”

According to Devin’s Case manager, he is doing great at school, “He is so excited and happy to be able to be back and participating in the public school system. He loves having the opportunity to interact with his typically developing peers and working on his social skills and communication.”

Your donation this Colorado Gives Day could help send another child like Devin back to school! To schedule your gift simply follow this link to our Colorado Gives Day page, click DONATE, and under Donation Frequency, choose “Colorado Gives Day” to schedule your donation for December 10th!