Organization grants girl’s swimming pool request
Skyler Dillow has had to cope with quite a lot in her short life. The troubles for the 6-year-old began at birth when she had trouble breathing and later continued at home where her parents, Larry and Linda Dillow, noticed she wasn’t developing as a normal child.
“She’d just lie there staring straight ahead into space,” said Linda Dillow. “When she reached the age of 2, we decided to phone Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and arranged for an appointment a week later. The same day she went in for a checkup, doctors Patricia Crumrine and Mary Louise Russell ran a series of tests and found out she is very mildly mentally retarded and has cerebral palsy and a rare blood disease called G6PD.”
The blood disorder, for which there currently is no treatment, prevents Skyler from taking certain medications because they may induce a seizure. To prevent her from ingesting something that might cause a harmful reaction, Linda Dillow maintains a three-page-long list of prohibited medications and also made her pharmacy aware of Skyler’s condition.
Following her release from the hospital the same day as her examination, Skyler started therapy at Uniontown Hospital and continued getting help there until she entered kindergarten last fall at Friendship Hill Elementary School.
“The school is wonderful for her because she’s in a special class for handicapped children taught by a teacher and three aides,” said Linda Dillow. “She’s involved in three therapy programs – physical, occupational and speech – where she’s taught things like how to build with blocks and put puzzles together.”
With the help of her therapists, Skyler started walking just before turning 3 on Feb. 10, 2003, and began talking shortly thereafter.
According to Linda Dillow, the first word she uttered was “Daddy,” which she called everyone she met, including her mother and older sister, Haylee, now 8.
“Since she began therapy, Skyler is so much more involved with life,” said Linda Dillow. “She can now walk and relate to other kids and is a very active child. Before, she just lie around doing and saying little. Everyday, we praise what the school has done for her.”
Skyler lives in Smithfield with her mother, who works as an attendant at Village Laundry in Hopwood; her father, a painter for Jerome Manufacturing of Uniontown; and her older sister.
“Skyler is Daddy’s little girl,” said Linda Dillow. “He gives her almost anything she wants.”
To help the couple work through the trying times, a friend, Taffy Lucas of Hopwood, encouraged the couple and gave them a lot of emotional support. She also told them about the work the Make-A-Wish Foundation does with children diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.
“Skyler liked the small plastic pool we bought her so much, we decided to see if she could get a larger one through Make-A-Wish,” said Linda Dillow. “We phoned the foundation in June of 2005, and shortly afterward, two volunteers came out to visit.”
The volunteers, Pat and Ron Fortier of Belle Vernon, have been working with Make-A-Wish for nine years. When they went out to see Skyler and her family, they presented her with the gift of a big white Wish bear. Because she’s so nonverbal, they also took along photos and magazines for her to look at to help determine just what wish she would like to have fulfilled. During the session, Skyler kept pointing to a photo of a swimming pool and kept repeating the word “pool” over and over again.
“I was pleased to see that the volunteers included Haylee in their interaction with the family and made her feel part of the process,” said Linda Dillow.
Following the visit by the volunteers, the Make-A-Wish office in Pittsburgh contacted a vendor, who agreed to come out and look at the property before installing the 18-by-52-foot aboveground pool.
Included with the pool are a deck, supplies and chemicals for a year, as well as a special swimsuit for handicapped children that will keep Skyler above water while she is swimming.
Anticipating the pool’s installation, the Dillows leveled off the site by renting a backhoe, and a neighbor, David McCann, donated his time to dig the hole and level it off.
The pool was finished on July 7 and ready for swimming.
“When Skyler saw it, she was so excited and didn’t want to do anything but stay in the pool,” said Linda Dillow. “I love it myself but can’t get anything done because all she wants to do is swim in the pool, even if it’s 8 in the morning.”
On Saturday, July 8, the Dillows threw a pool party, inviting friends, sponsors and relatives, including Skyler’s grandparents, for a cookout. Linda Dillow said everyone had a blast, especially Skyler.
“We keep thanking Make-A-Wish over and over again, but it doesn’t seem to be enough,” said Linda Dillow. “After all, they’re making our daughter’s dream come true.”