Spina Bifida. Club feet. Neurogenic bladder and bowels. Chari 2 Syndrome. Daunting? Not for 5-year-old Maddilyn “Maddi” Riemann. Maddi is a determined little girl and is not defined by these conditions.
Maddi is the life of the classroom. She brings joy, a sassy personality, a booming voice and even louder laughs. She acts like a teacher and tries to round up all her classmates so they can follow the directions of the teachers. Maddi loves to do hair and is always trying to fix all the girls’ hair in the classroom.
“I met Maddi when she was only a few weeks old to do her evaluation for Infant/Toddler Services through Rainbows,” said Rhonda Davis, Physical Therapist. “I became her primary service provider at that time. Maddi was going to another daycare other than Rainbows and I was seeing her there weekly. When she moved to Rainbows, she was in the nursery as she wasn’t crawling yet.”
“Even as an infant, Maddi was headstrong, so I had to follow her lead as to what we were going to work on during each visit,” said Rhonda. “Once she started crawling, we started working on finding a way to get her walking. On one visit, she would do great with a specific walking device, but then on the next visit, Maddi would just look at me as if to say, try again. This girl kept me on my toes, but she was a blast to work with, especially the first time I walked into Ms. Stacey’s room and she said “Hi Rhonda” for the first time.”
As owners of their own construction company, Katie and Jeff rely upon Rainbows to provide child care for their daughter, even during the pandemic. “By knowing that she is taken care of by qualified staff as well as supplying a safe environment for her to be in, her Mother and I can rest at ease through the day as we go off to work,” said Jeff.
“Rainbows has worked with her on her walking as well as her day to day activities…to include learning the simple things we need to be able to get through our day,” said Jeff. “She is more independent and is led to be more self-motivated.”
“Rainbows and the staff take the time to understand the child’s needs,” said Katie. “They work with the parents to make sure that your concerns are understood and keep working with you as needs change. We appreciated their willingness to learn the different skills needed to take care of our daughter.”
Maddi will graduate from Pre-Kindergarten this year, and she is going to walk across the stage to get her diploma. “I’ve watched Maddi grow since she was in the infant room when I nicknamed her “Roly-Poly,” said Autumn Hutchison, Early Education Lead Teacher. “Maddi wanted to be around everyone. She would roll one way or another to get where she wanted. As she aged through the classrooms, I saw her crawl, use a wheelchair, a walker, and crutches.”
“Maddi has blossomed into a beautiful little lady and I can’t wait to see what her future lies ahead for her,” said Autumn. “If she can dream it, she will definitely achieve it.”
