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Families find
resources, reassurance at the J.D. McCarty Center
(Note: This is the first
article in an occasional series about the 65th
anniversary of the J.D. McCarty Center and the
families and patients who have been helped by
the center.)
Lenore Allison found resources.
Ann and Guy Albertson found some relief.
Dianna Williams found reassurance.
All are parents of children
with special needs who have come to the J.D.
McCarty Center and all share similar views about
the center.
They talk about the valuable
services their children received, the compassion
they felt from the staff and the peace of mind
they experienced while their kids stayed at
the center either as inpatients or through the
center's respite care program.
This year marks the 65th
anniversary of the McCarty Center, which is
a pediatric rehab hospital that specializes
in the care and treatment of children with developmental
disabilities from birth to age 21.
The Norman center provides
medical care and physical, occupational, speech
and language therapy for children on an inpatient
and outpatient basis.
More than 10,000 families
have been served by the center. Here are a few
of their stories.
Developing friendships,
life skills
Lenore Allison learned
about the McCarty Center when she was looking
for resources to help her daughter, Lauren,
who has cerebral palsy.
The center proved to be
a place where her daughter had fun, met friends
and learned some life skills.
Lauren Allison, now 22,
came to the center on an inpatient and outpatient
basis from the time she was a preteen to a 21-year-old.
She also visited the center's orthopedic and
neurology clinics and received assistance from
the staff with her equipment needs.
Lenore Allison, of Goldsby,
said she was impressed with the care shown by
the center employees and how they worked to
create fun experiences for the children.
She also noticed that her
daughter developed more independence after visiting
the center. Lauren Allison improved her driving
skills with her electric wheelchair. She learned
how to make decisions and advocate for herself.
She became stronger and could assist as her
family or aides transferred her from her wheelchair
to a bed. The skills she learned also seemed
to boost her self-esteem, her mother said.
Her willingness to take
on tasks also came in handy at home when she
was given chores, such as taking items to her
bedroom.
"She was expected
to do things like everyone else," said
her mother, who also has two other children.
"We never wanted to make her feel any different
or any less important than anyone else in the
family."
Lauren Allison also had
people at the McCarty Center who encouraged
her to build on her abilities. She said she
appreciated the therapists who motivated her,
whether it was to work a little harder during
physical therapy or by believing in her when
she started attending the University of Oklahoma.
She also developed close
bonds with center employees and fellow patients.
So close, in fact, that she served as a bridesmaid
in the weddings of two employees. She would
also repeatedly ask her parents to adopt a few
of the kids she met at the center.
"You find good friends
here and you stick together," she said.
On a recent visit to the
center, the young woman was a celebrity of sorts
among employees as they gathered to hug her
and hear about what she is doing now.
"I'm very thankful
to come out here," she said. "I love
the people that have stayed in my life."
Lauren Allison hopes one
day to do more than visit the center. Her "dream
job" is to work at the center as a social
worker after she finishes college.
'An amazing place'
Dianna Williams saw two
little girls who needed a family.
So, she found a solution.
"We were foster parents
and we didn't want to let them go," said
Williams, of Norman.
She and her husband, Scottie,
decided to adopt Cassie - who is Scottie's niece
- and Sonia through a program with the state
Department of Human Services. They adopted Cassie
in 2001 and Sonia a year later.
Both girls have special
needs. Cassie, 14, has cerebral palsy and seizures
and is blind, deaf and developmentally delayed.
Sonia, 15, is nonverbal, developmentally delayed
and also experiences seizures.
Both girls are also welcome
additions to the family, which includes five
other children, six grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.
"They bring us a lot
of joy," Williams said about the girls,
who have cheerful personalities and constant
smiles.
With Cassandra, "we
just enjoy watching her, being with her and
loving her," her mother said.
Sonia is kind, outgoing
and loves to gives kisses to her family. She
also likes to be a caregiver to other children
in the family and has certain chores she enjoys,
such as making her bed and hanging up clothes,
Williams said.
Both girls have also come
to the McCarty Center on an inpatient and outpatient
basis for evaluations, therapy services and
rehabilitation. Williams said the center has
been an asset to her family.
"The people are great
and they know what our needs are and they try
to meet them," she said. "We're well
taken care of."
The family has also used
the center's respite program that gives parents
a brief break from the challenges that come
with caring for children with special needs.
Respite care is an inpatient
program where the child stays at the McCarty
Center and employees provide around-the-clock
care.
The program is available
to families for seven days, one time per year.
Some families use the time to take care of other
loved ones, to travel or to rest.
Williams said she welcomed
the break and used one of the respite periods
to travel to Hawaii with her husband. She knew
her daughters were in good hands while they
were away.
"I feel safe with
my children there," Williams said about
the center. "I don't have to worry about
them."
She plans to continue to
bring her daughters to the center and believes
it offers a cheerful environment with caring
employees. "It really is an amazing place,"
she said.
'A nice continuity of
care'
Ann Albertson's first impression
of the center proved to be a lasting one.
"Everybody was really
nice," she said. "It seemed like a
good place to be."
She and husband, Guy, first
brought their son, Kyle, to the center when
he was 4 months old. He has cerebral palsy and
was receiving outpatient physical therapy to
work on his muscle tone.
The Norman family continued
to bring their son to the center for evaluations,
occupational and physical therapy and to visit
the equipment and neurology clinics for outpatients.
In addition, the couple used the respite care
program to rest or vacation with their other
children, Corey and Kelsey.
The Albertsons said they
appreciated the kindness they were shown at
the center and how employees understood their
son's needs and capabilities.
"They get to know
the kids and their families," Guy Albertson
said, adding that there was "a nice continuity
of care from year to year to year."
Guy Albertson also had
the opportunity to work at the center as a contract
pharmacist for a few years in the early '1990s
and he would check dosages, make sure medication
was given properly and check for drug interactions,
among some of his duties.
He enjoyed the experience
and seeing the children at the center.
"It is a special place,"
he said. "The kids are just amazing."
Kyle Albertson also enjoyed
his time at the center and would let out an
excited yell when he came through the front
doors. He seemed to know where he was, his mother
said.
Kyle Albertson is now 24
and his mom describes him as having a sweet
personality and a love for a variety of music,
including tunes from the Beach Boys and The
Beatles. He also is a guy on the go.
He participates in Among
Friends, which is a program in Norman that gives
adults with physical or mental disabilities
the chance to meet new people, develop social
skills and participate in activities, according
to the program's website.
He also loves car rides,
family outings, trips to the mall and spending
time outdoors.
"He just enjoys being
out in an environment where there's people and
commotion," his dad said.
Ann Albertson said the
family misses coming to the McCarty Center and
she encourages other families with children
with special needs to visit the center and "get
your child involved and reap the benefits."
Sidebar:
Center celebration
set for June
The J.D. McCarty Center
will host a reception June 3 to celebrate 65
years of service to children with developmental
disabilities.
The event is from 5 p.m.
to 7 p.m. at the McCarty Center's conference
center. The building is located at 2002 E. Robinson
St. in Norman.
Following the reception
is an alumni dance from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The events are open to
current and former patients and their families,
volunteers, donors and supporters.
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