Progress at Sanford Children’s Therapies in Bismarck, North Dakota, can seem slow. Day by day, session by session, the improvement can be hard to see. But on a longer timeline — say three years — the differences can look pretty stark.
“She had to relearn everything. I mean, she couldn’t get dressed alone. She couldn’t even walk on her own. She’s become a self-sufficient teenager now,” said Brenda Newton.
Revisiting Lilah’s story
Lilah Newton of Moffit, North Dakota, first came to Sanford in 2020. A rare condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome caused kidney failure and a life-threatening stroke. She needed neurosurgery and would be placed in a medically induced coma.
After being treated for months at multiple hospitals in three different states, Lilah finally returned home. She would need extensive speech, occupational and physical therapy at Sanford to try and rehab all of the strength and dexterity she had lost on her left side.
“When she came home, she was crawling on the floor because she couldn’t walk safely,” said Lilah’s mother, Brenda.
Three years ago, Lilah was relearning how to stand and balance at therapy. She also had trouble holding onto basic items with her left hand. Now though, Lilah says she loves to crochet, draw and write stories. And not surprisingly, this eighth grader is happy to be more independent.
“I can do almost everything by myself now,” Lilah said. “Getting my jacket on even just last year was super hard for me. I couldn’t hold anything because I was just all tightened up, my hand. But now I can pinch, I can grasp, I can even write in cursive with my left hand.”
As far as her walking goes, even her mother is in awe.
“I mean, my goodness, this girl, she can run a mile in school now!” Brenda said.
Small gains every day
Occupational therapist Buffy Motschenbacher says she has seen a lot of growth in Lilah too.
“I would say three years ago Lilah was leaning a lot when she was reaching, and her strength in her core has gotten so great to where we don’t see that compensation as much,” Motschenbacher said. “When we were working on strength, we were doing grasp with two hands on a weighted bar. Now we’re doing isolated left strength, so the range there has improved.
“A finger is still hard. That’s really her biggest area. But we’re starting to get more pinch and we’re focusing on strength.”
Occupational and physical therapy continue, but with all of her improvement, Lilah was able to drop speech therapy. Something the family wasn’t sure would happen.
“When she was done with speech therapy, we were like, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure she’s ready? I don’t know if we are!” laughed Jared Newton, Lilah’s father. “But we know that means that she’s getting better as well.”
Working toward a stronger future
Three years older and more mature, Lilah now views her therapy as more of a routine than a chore, but the kid in her still needs to make it playful.
“On those tough days, I just try to do anything to make it more fun. Like we’ll play games a lot of the time, and sometimes we put on music … a lot of Taylor Swift,” Lilah said with a smile.
“She works hard and she’s a fighter,” Motschenbacher said. “She’s awesome to work with because she brings humor into things. I have teenagers, so I say, ‘You’re just like my teenagers at home.’ We laugh about that.”
Lilah’s parents are thankful that she has come so far with her recovery, and they say they are grateful to Sanford therapists like Motschenbacher who have been with Lilah for so long.
“They just know her so well. They understand what motivates her. They’re just like family now,” Brenda said.
“It gives you hope that three years from now hopefully she will be much improved in other ways, and be a lot further ahead of the game,” said Jared. “We’re hopeful that that’s what’s in her future, and she’ll continue to work for that.”
Just a few short years ago, Lilah Newton was fighting for her life. Now she’s working toward a better, stronger future.
“There’s no being done with a disability,” Brenda said. “I think the end goal would be just to be as strong as they think she should be, and that Lilah can do everything that she wants to do without difficulty.”
Learn more
- Lilah Newton, 10-year-old stroke survivor
- Sanford stroke educators give lessons in spotting symptoms
- Therapists help girl with rare disorder walk on her own
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Posted In Bismarck, Brain & Spine, Children's, Rehabilitation & Therapy
