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Courtney, Neiko and William Henson pose for a photograph. Pizza Hut is holding a fundraiser Thursday to help the family pay for a trip to Seattle so Neiko, who suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, can receive treatment.
Editor’s note: This version corrects the spelling of “Henson”
A local family is asking the community to help with raising funds to help take their 8-year-old son to Seattle with a Pizza Hut fundraiser Thursday.
Neiko Henson has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Neiko was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in 2010 and then with epilepsy in 2015.
His mother, Courtney Henson, said she noticed in the first few months after Neiko was born that he would crawl, but would be dragging his legs. Other signs that alerted Courtney to possible problems and, she added, this is her child so she knew what seemed out of place.
Neiko was referred to Great Falls for an MRI and the results stunned Courtney and her family. Neiko had suffered a stroke and his brain had bled. When it was trying to correct itself, Courtney said, it damaged half of his brain.
"(The doctors) were showing us the MRI on the screen and all this grey was just covered on the left side of his brain," she added. "They pretty much told us that his brain was trying to work. Like it was sparking and it was trying to work, but it was being held hostage and couldn't work. That's how they explained it to me."
The doctors told Courtney that Neiko would probably never walk again, but Courtney said she and her husband would not accept that. Courtney and her family moved to Florida so Neiko could have more medical opportunities. After a few years in Florida, the family moved back to Montana in 2015.
After they moved back, Courtney said Neiko had his first seizure, which put him in the intensive care unit, at Northern Montana Healthcare. Courtney said she heard Neiko groaning in his sleep in the morning and went to check on him.
"I flipped on the light switch and it was like a crime scene," she added. "There was vomit everywhere. He was convulsing. It was the scariest thing I had ever gone through. I just yelled for my husband and I jumped over all these toys and kind of grabbed my kid."
Courtney wrapped up Neiko and drove to the hospital. She said she found out that Neiko endured four seizures that day and they were told that Neiko had epilepsy. Neiko saw a neurologist in Billings for some time, but the neurologist eventually said there was nothing more they could do for Neiko in Billings.
The neurologist then referred the family to Seattle Children's Hospital, Courtney said. She added that they have been going to Seattle for a couple of years, but every year, it is financially difficult for them.
Neiko recently had another bad seizure, Courtney said, and Seattle Children's Hospital wants the family to bring Neiko in immediately.
"They didn't give us the time that we usually get to collect funds," she added. "You can only use the resources we used once a year."
Courtney said the trip to Seattle is long and must be undertaken by car because Neiko does not do well on flights.
Neiko attends Lincoln-McKinley Early Primary School and Courtney said the students as well as the teachers have all been kind to Neiko. She added that the other kids are mostly curious about Neiko.
Courtney said it has been hard on her and her family to try and be there for Neiko. Courtney added that she used to have a full-time job, but with Neiko's cerebral palsy, it was causing Courtney to miss work frequently. She eventually left her job and devoted her time to Neiko.
Courtney's husband, William, is still working full-time and his paycheck is just enough to cover the bills, she said.
"I tell my kids, just be happy the rent is paid and there's food in the house whether it's ramen or bread or anything. Just be happy because some people don't have that," she added.
Having a child with both cerebral palsy and epilepsy is challenging, Courtney said. She added that she and her husband are constantly keeping track of their kids and they consider themselves to be "24/7 parents."
While she and her family have only been back in Havre for a couple years, they can tell how close a community it is and how much the community likes to help out.
She added that she would like to thank the community for all their support.
Thursday, when people say they are donating to Neiko Henson's fundraiser when paying for a dine-in or takeout order at Havre's Pizza Hut, the restaurant will donate 20 percent of the purchase price to his account.
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