(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — This week's Difference Maker highlights Almost Home Kids (AHK), an organization that helps care for children with complex medical needs.
Since 1999, AHK has been helping families navigate the challenges and uncertainties that come with caring for a child with medical complexities. Megan Sulich is the organization’s director of nursing.
“Kids with medical complexities are kids [who], for various reasons, are dependent on technology and have significant medical needs,” Sulich told WBBM.
At AHK's locations in Naperville, Chicago and Peoria, parents and caregivers are trained for about 120 days by a team of professionals on how to care for their child's medical needs.
“Parents and caregivers can practice some of these pretty complex medical procedures and different interventions in a setting that is as similar to their own home as possible,” Sulich said.
The goal is to help give families the tools they need to succeed and the confidence that they will.
In its 25 years, Almost Home Kids has helped about 2,500 children at no cost to their families.
Laura Brown's daughter, Josie, is one of them.
“[For] the first few months of her life she was a kind of a medical mystery,” Brown said.
Josie was eventually diagnosed with a very rare medical condition.
Left: The Laura Brown and her husband hold their daughter, Josie, who was diagnosed with a very rare medical condition. Right: Josie, years later, striking a pose. Photo credit Provided “She was 3 months old at the time,” Brown said. “She immediately needed a tracheostomy so that she could have a trach that would connect her to a ventilator. She also had a gastrointestinal tube for feeding.
“It was overwhelming and scary.”
Brown said the help and training they received at Almost Home Kids changed everything.
Since 1999, AHK has been helping families navigate the challenges and uncertainties that come with caring for a child with medical complexities. Photo credit Almost Home Kids “By the time we were able to bring her home, after going through all the certified training, my husband and I really felt like we could handle this,” Brown said.
Sulich said that's the best part of her job.
“Just seeing the difference that we're making in people's lives has been the pride of my professional life,” Sulich said.
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