John Bottone is nine years old and in the third grade at the Florence M. Burd School. John was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1, which limits his ability to move, speak, and eat. However he is totally mentally alert. He has been using EagleEyes technology for four years at his home and at school.
John has been using EagleEyes as a way to learn more about Catholicism. John is preparing for his First Communion, which is planned for May at the Lady of the Lake Church in Sparta, NJ. This idea occurred to his mom, Patty, when she was signing up her son Chris for his First Communion, “I felt sad that I was signing Chris up, but John was going to miss out. Why should he miss out on it?” Patty didn’t want First Communion to be another part of life that John was excluded from. She explained her thoughts to Monsignor Knauer, a priest at Lady of the Lake Church.
With Monsignor Knauer’s support, John began preparing at home with the help of Gen Miller, John’s wonderful nurse and Catechism teacher. Patty notes, “John has been studying the same books as all of the other students for two years now.” After reading the lessons in these books, John uses EagleEyes to answer questions in order to show that he is grasping the material. His learning is progressing right on schedule.
At one point, Monsignor Knauer stopped by the Bottone house to visit with the family. He watched John use EagleEyes to answer questions from the First Faith book he was studying. He could see John understands exactly what he is being taught. Monsignor Knauer explained, “It is an impressive machine. It really opens up a new way to communicate.” Monsignor Knauer is thrilled that EagleEyes will allow John to take this vital step in his religious life.
When the big day arrives, John will receive First Holy Communion. With the approval of the Church and John’s pediatrician, a small amount of wine will be transformed into the Blood of Christ through John’s g-tube in order to complete the sacrament.
From a letter from Patty Bottone:
| John’s life has been enhanced socially, intellectually and personally due to his utilizing the EagleEyes system. It has truly been a godsend and enables miracles to happen every time John is on it. I am not exaggerating when I call them miracles since John was never able to independently answer a question, make a statement, play a game, or do anything independently for that matter until he used an EagleEyes system four years ago...
John’s social life has been enhanced in that he now can play a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with a friend or one of his brothers. He can now communicate and make a statement to a friend, family member or at school using his system... As far as intellectual enhancement, EagleEyes has enabled him to show that he retains what he reads and learns and is able to do well on quizzes on the material. Up until the time John was introduced to EagleEyes, he was able to receive information and retain it, but unable to show everyone exactly what he had truly learned and how well. Now with EagleEyes there is no question as to how intelligent John is, and he is able to prove what he knows. John reads and then takes quizzes in Spelling, Math, History, and Science. He performs at a 3rd grade level which is amazing considering the limited exposure he has had in certain areas of study... |