Hi! My name is Neal. I was born on October 11, 1999. I have an amazing story to tell if you have the time to sit and listen.

I was a Premature baby. 13 weeks premature to be exact. I weighed one pound, nine ounces (that's 720 grams) and spent the first three months of my life in the NICU unit at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

All of this led to a grade IV (4) Inter Ventricular Hemorrhage (IVH), which means that I had bleeding into my brain's ventricles. This caused a condition called Hydrocephalus, often called "Water on the Brain."

When I was nine months old, my mom and dad learned that I have Microcephaly, which really just means "small brain". Kids with Microcephaly have differing levels of ability. We can grow up strong and healthy just like anybody else--we just need a little extra help!

Every week my friend Patty, a Physical Therapist from Birth To Three, comes to see me and help me with my motor skills. We work on rolling, sitting, standing, walking, and all kinds of other things. I also see Karen, an Occupational Therapist, and Marcy, a Speech Therapist, twice a month. I'm learning and growing all the time.

The most important thing that I want you to know that just because someone might look a little different or has a hard time doing things that you can do doesn't mean that they don't count. I'm just a kid and I know that already!

If you'd like to talk to my mom or dad, you can write them. They'd love to hear from you!

NOTE: The above information is several years old. Whereas the basic infoinformation is correct, Neal no longer lives in Connecticut, and no longer sees anyone from CCMC or Birth To 3. See updates for more current information.