Lansdowne Children’s Centre makes a life-changing difference for twins

“If we didn’t have Lansdowne, I don’t think we would have known half of the stuff that we know now.”

Twins Payton and Taylor were born about three months prematurely.

“They were both born with brain hemorrhages, and they both had heart murmurs, which they had to have surgery for both of them,” said mom Kelley Crowley. On top of that, “Taylor was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and she actually wasn’t expected to live.”

Taylor was in the hospital for the first six months of her life; Payton was there for about four or five months before she was able to come home.

It was a stressful time for the family; the twins have a sister who is 14 months older than them, meaning there was also a little one at home to care for while they were in the hospital.  

“There was a lot of traveling back and forth, there was a lot of uncertainty, a lot of trying to figure out where you needed to go that day,”

Kelley said.

Looking a little bit ahead, “We knew that there was going to be many, many issues. They told us if Taylor lived, she wouldn't walk, she wouldn't talk; everything under the sun that she wouldn't be able to do. We knew that there was going to be a long road ahead.”

But they knew where to find professionals to come alongside them on the journey: Lansdowne Children’s Centre, which specializes in childhood development.

Connecting with Lansdowne Children's Cente

“My oldest was already in Lansdowne just a little bit, because we were having issues with her vomiting after foods,” Kelley said. It was ultimately determined that she had an allergy, so she had been discharged from Lansdowne.

While at the time – almost 15 years ago – self-referrals weren’t permitted, Kelley reached out to Lansdowne anyway, and was able to secure support for the twins. (Today, families are welcome to self-refer by contacting Lansdowne’s SmartStart Hub if there are questions or concerns about a child’s development).

“It was definitely great knowing that service was available to us,” Kelley said.

The twins not only survived, but have thrived with the support they’ve received through Lansdowne.

“Payton has ADHD. Dr. Klein has been able to help us navigate that and her global mild developmental delay. That's been a saviour,” Kelley said.

Supported by Lansdowne Services and Programs

Meanwhile, through physiotherapy, “Taylor eventually was able to walk, at the age of five, with the AFO (ankle-foot orthoses braces).”

She’s been able to access other programs, too, including weekends at Lansdowne’s respite program, Kids Country Inn (KCI).

Kelley said she appreciates that the program organizers will gear specific weekends at KCI to teenage girls, so they can have a social time with their peers and develop friendships.

With Taylor especially, all of the support through Lansdowne has “helped her be who she is today,” Kelley said.

“If we didn’t have Lansdowne, I don’t think we would have known half of the stuff that we know now.”

Kelley said when it comes to accessing resources, families can be left wondering, “What did I miss, what am I missing that I didn’t know I could take advantage of in Ontario?”

However, with knowledgeable professionals like those at Lansdowne able to help with paperwork and informing families about programs and resources available, there’s less concern about missing out.

“The amount of resources that they have just for the kids or even for the parents; they've been through it, they know,”

Kelley said.

Because for any caregiver, one of the biggest challenges is being an effective advocate.

“You need to advocate for your child. If you feel it's right, then you know it's right, and you’ll figure it out,” she said. “We've always advocated for Taylor and Payton; we're still advocating for them even in their high school years,” because as their parents, “We know best.”

Kelley said she’s grateful for the support Lansdowne has given over the years.

“It's life-saving for families. It really gets you through the highs and the lows of medical issues or setbacks or just all of those things.”