Like any 10-year-old kid, Quinn Ladgenski has a lot to say, especially about music, sports and girls. He likes the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s album. He roots for the Cubs. And his crush is Selena Gomez.
But he cannot verbally speak.
Quinn has learned to communicate using hand gestures and an assistive technology device that gives him a voice. He received this help through the programs, care and support offered by the DuPage and Fox Valley chapter of Easterseals, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helpinginfants, children and adults with developmental delays and disabilities become more independent.
“He keeps fighting and working at it every day. It takes a special kind of motivation and pretty exceptional spirit to be able to climb back up the same mountain every day and he continues to do that day in and out,” said his father Derek Ladgenski, an Easterseals board member and a Commercial Finance partner at law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.
This month, the Ladgenski family was honored as Gala Ambassadors at the Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley’s 41st Annual Benefit Gala, a fundraiser sponsored by Katten among others to further the organization’s mission.
The Ladgenski family (from left to right on top row: Grace, Vivian, Derek, Sarah and bottom row: Emma and Quinn) attend the Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley Annual Benefit Gala on April 6, 2019. (Photo credit: Rich Howe Photography)
Quinn, who has a twin sister, Emma, and older teenage sisters, Grace and Vivian, has been an Easterseals client since he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at four months old. He suffered a stroke before birth.
The DuPage and Fox Valley chapter of Easterseals sees more than 1,000 children a week and helps them build the skills they need to live, learn, work and play in their communities. Easterseals offers occupational, physical and speech language therapies in addition to medical nutrition services, audiology services, developmental evaluations, social services, community outreach and continuing education programs. They also provide a child development center and specialty clinics.
Easterseals has been such a valuable resource for the Ladgenski family, providing an encouraging support system with respected medical professionals and caring experts fielding the many questions from parents and addressing their concerns. Through physical and occupational therapy, assistive technology and nutritional health services, Quinn reached and celebrated significant milestones: taking steps with a walker, riding an adaptive bicycle, transferring into and out of his wheelchair, dressing and feeding himself and better communicating his needs and wants.
“They’re milestones every kid hits.He just hits them later,” said Quinn’s mother, Sarah.
The Ladgenski family attend the EastersealsDuPage & Fox Valley 41st Annual Benefit Gala on April 6, 2019. (Photo credit: Rich Howe Photography)
At the gala, she shared her story as the parent of a child with special needs. “When you are a parent of a son or daughter who struggles with some condition or another, your immediate response or impulse is to fix it,” Sarah said.
As the benchmarks passed and expectations began to change, she came to the realization that “normal” does not equate to better. “The fact Quinn cannot talk and that he struggles to even use his talker at times does not mean he has nothing to say. Our son Quinn is kind, and he showers everyone with hugs and affection,” Sarah said.
Quinn’s happiness is often contagious. “My twin brother Quinn gives away free smiles which makes me and everyone else smile. He gives us all hugs when he knows we are upset and he’s my best friend in the world,” said his sister Emma.
Growing up in a family with a special-needs sibling has given Quinn’s sisters a different perspective, and a deeper appreciation for the little things in life.
“Quinn sees the best in everyone and finds pure joy in everything he does,” said his older sister Vivian. “Most of us cannot wait to get through a flight, but Quinn looks forward to them for days. Most of us think the car wash is boring, but Quinn thinks the lights, sounds and motions are better than any movie ever made.”
Quinn Ladgenski at the Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley’s 41st Annual Benefit Gala on April 6, 2019. (Photo credit: Rich Howe Photography)
His sisters have learned to become advocates for those without a voice.
“It’s pretty amazing what typesof kids they are growing into because they have so much empathy toward other people who on a daily basis are fighting their own struggles,” said their father, Derek.
Derek’s hope for Quinn is the same as for his daughters: to be safe, protected and kind and fight to turn their dreams into a reality.
Quinn’s family wants to make sure he has the ability to achieve his goals, Derek said, even if it is simply “living what he sees as a fulfilling life, which is being surrounded by people he loves and making them feel good too.”
