Layne’s life has been a surprise ever since he entered the world 8 weeks early weighing 3.7 pounds. “From the moment he was born, he’s encountered challenges,” said his mom, Kari. “In the beginning, he was so little. He died 7 times and came back to us and has been fighting ever since.” Due to his rough start, Layne has severe brain damage and was late to meet developmental milestones of rolling over, crawling, walking and talking. That’s when the family was introduced to Rainbows, but ended up moving out of state shortly after.
The family experienced a few more unexpected challenges along the way. After his dad passed away, Layne and his mom moved back to Wichita when he was 8 years old. At that time, Kari knew she needed help and reached out once again to Rainbows. “When we moved back, we started Targeted Case Management with Rainbows. Our TCM Ellen has been a life saver,” said Kari. “I can call Ellen with the current challenge, and she’ll find resources to help with everything from vitamins and medicine to a walk-in bathtub home modification, wheelchair, and his special tricycle. She goes above and beyond for us. I’d be lost without her.” Ellen is proud to provide TCM services to families, “I help families with funding and resources. This allows the families to focus on what is important and not stress about how they will fund a needed item,” said Ellen.
In addition to Layne’s brain injury, he also suffers from quadriplegic cerebral palsy and severe autism. A fighter who has come so far, Layne is now 12 years old, loves kittens and Pokémon, takes short walks with his mom, and plays Nintendo Switch whenever he can. “We take one day at a time,” said Kari. “Each day with Layne is a gift. We could not be more grateful for our Case Manager to help us through the journey.”
