New York Father Brings Special Needs Girl To NYC From Treatment After Hurricane Dorian Destroyed Bahamas School
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – If you're stressed out by the holidays and everything else in between, here's a heartwarming story about a father who's changing lives every day – especially when it comes to special needs children.
Kia Davis is 13 years-old and has cerebral palsy and a brain injury. She and her family are from the Bahamas which Hurricane Dorian devastated three months ago.
Kia's school for special needs children was destroyed. Her identical twin sister Tori was scared to death.
"I was frightened about how the water's rising and people drowning in it," Tori Davis said.
Patrick Donohue lives in New York and his daughter Sarah Jane also has a brain injury. When he saw the devastation in the Bahamas and learned about the school that was destroyed he wanted to help. Years ago he founded iBrain, a school in Manhattan for children with brain injuries.
When he learned about Kia not being able to attend school or get her medicine, he worked to get her and her family to New York. They arrived last week.
At iBrain, on the Upper East Side, Kia will get incredible services.
"Kia's going to get physical therapy every day, occupational therapy, speech therapy," Donohue said. "I'm very, very optimistic that Kia is going to make some really great progress."
Her sister dreams of hearing her speak one day.
"If Kia talks I don't know what to say I would be shocked," Davis told CBS2's Cindy Hsu.
The twins had a rough start. Their mother wasn't able to take care of them so their aunt and uncle Rhonda and Darren adopted them at three months-old. They say Tori is like Kia's guardian angel.
"When she's feeling sad or she's not in the mood and just come and cheer her up," Davis said. "I just give her a lot of kisses and she gives them back to me and when she tries to talk to me I say yes I understand you."
Patrick and the family say good things are happening all the time.
"With all the turmoil that's going on around the country around the world there's a lot of amazing people doing a lot of amazing things including our kids," Donohue explained.
He says you just have to notice the little things.
Donohue added the family will stay in New York until Kia's school can be rebuilt.
To find out more about the school, visit iBrainNYC.org.
