We have a remarkable Detroit 2020 story about an inspirational young man whose enormous challenges led him to a reading program that is now being used to help high school students in Detroit.
Prior to 1995
it was a death sentence
for babies.
J.T. Mestdagh was born unable to eat or even go to the bathroom. It’s a birth defect called VATER Syndrome. “When he was born and the doctor came in the room and said he was going to be performing surgery on our son and I had to sign papers, I said, ‘Huh you’re in the wrong room’,” says his mother Kris.
Doctors had to rebuild his esophagus. Prior to 1995 it was a death sentence for babies. J.T. also suffered from severe dyslexia. That meant being pulled from the classroom, plus help with spelling and speech, but it wasn’t enough.
While in elementary school at University Liggett, J.T. was told he was not a good fit and could not return to the private school. “I came home from school and I laid on the kitchen floor and I was crying and I told my mom, ‘Mom, I just want to learn to read like every other kid, I don’t care about the medical stuff’,” he says.
His medical issues were life and death. But his parents realized his education was about daily survival.