People take notice of Hunter

Since birth, Hunter Crites has been reaching for new heights and having people take notice of him.

During delivery, he became wrapped in the umbilical cord. It required an emergency Caesarean section.

Despite doctors’ efforts, the cord was wrapped around Hunter’s neck, causing irreversible brain trauma.

Hunter was left with a form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia.

He’s essentially a normal kid — or a “typical” kid as they like to say around the Easter Seals offices.

But the “wiring” is not right from his brain to his leg muscles. The result: Sometimes his muscles fire when they shouldn’t; other times, they don’t fire when he wants them to.

For his eight years of life, he’s lived on crutches or a walker.

But what God didn’t give him for legs, he made up for with heart.

He has lots, as does his mom and grandma.

Shirley Maloy and her daughter, Stephanie Crites, had a normal parent-child relationship growing up, Shirley said with a roll of her eyes.

But life has a way of sorting things out. For them, the sorting came in the form of Hunter.

They’ve been a three- person force since. Shirley says they have to be.

“I don’t envy any family in this situation. The system works against you every step of the way,” she said.

When Stephanie earns overtime or a bonus at work, that money ends up getting taken out of Hunter’s Social Security check.

“They watch every dollar,” she said.

I’m a taxpayer, and that kind of logic sounds great when you see million-dollar bonuses amid Wall Street bailouts. But when you see Shirley and her tired eyes and plain living, you question who gets watched and who doesn’t.

So while the chance at a few extra bucks seems to elude them, it’s created a bond that works and wins for Hunter.

That force earned them a cherished chance at Easter Seals.

A new, intensive therapy is available at the Easter Seals office in Youngstown.

It’s an emerging technology that first started with Russian cosmonaut training and has been refined as it has expanded over the years.

If done properly, it can move the right child off crutches to walking on his own. It’s abbreviated and imperfect walking; crutches remain in sight; but a mountain is climbed.

A child is placed in a special outfit called a TheraSuit. The suit is a maze of cables and cords — all affect a muscle or limb on the body and are attached to a cable and pulley system in a cage contraption.

Easter Seals has two Thera-Suit and cage systems, purchased for about $30,000.

While the suit and cage have been used for some time, what’s developed recently is a more intensive and accelerated therapy.

It’s grueling: three hours a day, five days per week for three weeks, followed by follow-up therapy in the weeks down the road.

With that demand, it’s not for every kid or family.

The heart of Hunter and the resiliency of Shirley and Stephanie made them an ideal family.

But the therapy is costly — $4,500 per child. Shirley said such an expense was not in the Crites family budget.

That’s where the Angels of Easter Seals stepped in.

The Angels are a group of kindhearted ladies in the Valley. Their fund- raising programs are draped in shine and style, from a spring fashion show to a Christmas gala dinner and auction.

Their elegance is a shawl over hearts stronger than steel.

Through them, kids such as Hunter are connected to chances like the TheraSuit.

More money to Angels means more chances for kids like Hunter.

Hunter was put through the intensive therapy. He had one goal when he started it. He’s a rough and tumble boy of 8 — loves soccer and the Steelers. Yet his goal was to walk without crutches at the Angels’ fashion show.

That event was Thursday. My job that day was to accompany Hunter in front of 700 fans of the Easter Seals.

But boys like Hunter — you don’t accompany them. You simply follow.

And if you’re good at that, you enjoy one of the best seats in the house.

Hunter brought hundreds of ladies to their feet and drew tears from their eyes.

With three sons not yet in high school, I’m around boys a lot. I see lots of dads measure lots of boys in many ways: Goals, assists, throws, touchdowns, speed, strength, putts, etc. It goes on ...

Hanging with Hunter, you’re reminded to measure one thing over all others: life.

And walking with Hunter, you measure two other things:

A left step ...

Followed by a right step ...