A Father’s Hope: Finley’s Healing Through Play
Chris has been serving in the U.S. Army for 22 years, currently working as an infantry division operations officer and is in command of a cavalry squadron.
While Chris has done many things he’s proud of, he is most proud to be Finley’s dad. “The best thing, the most important title I have, the thing I treasure the most out of all things, is being a dad,” says Chris.
When Finley was born, he spent three months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). In his first month of life, he experienced a stroke, which led to cerebral palsy, affecting his balance and causing muscle tightness.
Fast forward, and Finley has had more surgeries than Chris can count. “He’s a trooper,” Chris says.
One of the things that Chris is most proud of is Finley’s sheer will, drive, and passion, which he demonstrated when his team won the National Wheelchair Basketball championships. It was the first time in his Prep team’s history and the first time since 1963 that a Prep program did so, undefeated. Finley pushes himself in so many ways, whether on the track, on the field, in the pool, on the court, in the band, or in Boy Scouts.
“There's so many things that Fin’s done throughout his life that really point to his drive, and his fire, and that makes me proud, because that's an indicator of the person he's going to become, the character of him.”
- Chris
Finley’s Enduring Resilience
Now, 12-year-old Finley is exemplifying that same drive and determination in his two-year rehabilitation regimen with multiple therapy sessions at Dell Children’s Medical Center to regain his leg strength and endurance after experiencing spinal surgeries in 2023 at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Therapy is not without its challenges. Finley has been in and out of physical and occupational therapy since before he learned to walk. Therapy can be difficult for Finley, especially when he is feeling immense pain and has limited movement. Burnout is common in therapy, especially for kids like Finley who have done it for so long.
The Starlight Virtual Reality Headset helps ignite his sheer will and drive. By immersing himself in a positive distraction that helps him manage his pain, Finley’s therapy sessions are transformed into fun. He has so much fun that he actively works with the Child Life and physical therapy teams to determine which virtual reality games he can incorporate into his sessions. In these ways, the VR headset provides Finley with emotional support, helping improve his mental wellbeing.
“Burnout for therapy is a thing, right? Anybody that’s gone through it at great length understands that. And so having access to a technology that helps him focus on an activity that he can be immersed in versus doing physical therapy is tremendous.” - Chris
The Importance of Play
Chris has seen how the Starlight VR Headset has transformed his son’s physical therapy sessions. He elaborates:
“Therapists may make it [physical therapy sessions] basketball or playing a board game. And even doing all those things, you still know that you're doing physical therapy because of the room you’re in and the environment you’re in.
Whereas when you're in a VR headset, like, Fin's a gorilla and he's doing it from vines and climbing trees and doing all the things that they need him to do, but he's not really doing them in his mind. It’s great.”
Finley loves to play, especially on the basketball court. Play doesn’t stop in the hospital with Starlight VR. Chris shares why he believes the healing power of play is so important:
“Play is, number 1, first and foremost, part of being a child, it’s part of development ... And specifically with children that are in the same situation as Finley was, there’s enough seriousness in that experience… between doctors, what your afflictions are – you get enough of being an adult, just by being a kid going through surgery, and rehab, and all of those other things. Starlight provides that opportunity for the other part of your growth, in play.”
Sparking Hope
Finley’s physical therapy sessions are more enjoyable when he can play. His mood and demeanor brighten, and Finley continues to persevere. When asked how it makes Chris feel to see Finley persevere, he said:
“Man that gives me hope ... To see him continue, it just gives me hope. I know it's simply stated… but that's everything. It's everything. To see him push through, and to set his own goals, and to meet them… through all the adversities of just moving… the things that we take for granted, and most people take for granted, is work for him. And to see him succeed… that just gives me hope.”
There are families like Chris and Finley’s across the country who need resources like Starlight programs to make hospital experiences easier.
You can provide them with emotional support by donating to Starlight today. Give now.
