Pepe Finding his Own Pathway to Wellness  

Pepe – always ready for any challenge

Mother experienced mild nausea and vomiting for 2 months in the first trimester but then began to have bleeding which continued until delivery.  The labor was induced. At birth, blood work confirmed that the baby had Trisomy 21. The baby was jaundiced but otherwise, the baby was healthy.

As the months went by he experienced delayed development.

At age two, Pepe began on a home program based on the books mother read that had been suggested by a nutritionist. 

Little Pepe began a home program of a comprehensive physical program, a careful schedule of intellectual stimulation, and the physiological support to be healthy and have good neurological progress.

Two years later Mother attended the What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child course. Little Pepe began an intensive home program which included a balance of opportunity for a comprehensive physical program, a carefully planned schedule of intellectual stimulation, and the physiological support he would need to be healthy and have good neurological progress.  In addition, Pepe stopped taking medication he had been taking because he was hyperactive. When Pepe began his developmental growth was 25% of his well peers.   

At age five Pepe was first seen by the staff of Institutes. At that time he was unable to speak as well as a three-year-old, his behavior was inappropriate for his age, he walked poorly and his breathing was poor.

Pepe, age 6 out for his daily run

By the age of 8 Pepe begins to learn to ride a bike

Pepe is fiercely determined young man.  With the help of his equally determined mother, he has improved constantly in the last seven years on his home program. Pepe has earned a Reading victory, an understanding victory, a running victory and a health victories (no illnesses for 36 months).

To learn more about what those victories required, Click Here.

Pepe reads books at the adult level in English and in his Mother Tongue. 

Thanks to a mother who understood the importance of Pepe’s social growth his behavior progressed markedly.  Today Pepe is very helpful and considerate to others.  He has started using more mature language as his behavior has matured.

He reads commercial books at the adult level in English and in his Mother tongue.  He has a superb memory.  For example, he often surprises mother when he reminds her about his past experiences that she has long forgotten.

Out on the town and looking good – Pepe at age 8

Pepe – The Entrepreneur

He is learning to become an entrepreneur.  When he was 9 years old, he began to raise chicken for eggs.  He then sold poultry and began to grow and sell organic vegetables which are rare in his neighborhood.

Pepe – The Scientist 

Pepe recently has entered the world of science.  In experiments he has demonstrated the two critical conditions that influence osmosis (i.e., the movement of water across the membranes) and how to change turgor pressure in a plant  (i.e. pressure inside the plant) this pressure causes the plant stem to wilt.

Pepe – The Anthropologist

He has completed a booklet, entitled “The Swazi Culture.”  In this book, he first outlines the methodology used in his research:

• Reading Books
• Research on the Internet
• Gathering Local Knowledge
• Visiting significant sites
• Visuals – photos and videos

In this study, the main objective was to define what the culture was and discover if his hypothesis was correct.    According to Pepe, the culture is “the set of behavioral norms that are found in a society. Culture encompasses religion, beliefs, how the people dance, how they dress up, how they talk, the language that they speak and many more.” He investigated the cultural practices in the Swazi society through a series of excursions in the field.

Author, Pepe at age 9, having just completed his first academic work “The Swazi Culture”.

We look forward to Professor Pepe in the future.

Mother has brought Pepe from being a disorganized and very frustrated little boy who was significantly behind his peers to an accomplished and productive young man with a life full of new challenges. No matter what challenge mother sets for him, Pepe will step up and get it done. He is a young man of true grit – highly intelligent, strong and kind. He sets a fine example for all children and all parents but most especially for parents who have a child diagnosed with Trisomy 21.