has found that if she gets Dayton to come to only ever going to learn what she would learn the solution, to make her feel like it was her but it was important that she learned the own idea, it goes smoothly and she can calm peer relations and the responsibility of the down faster. Loud noises can also set Dayton classroom setting. off because Williams syndrome kids have Dayton is currently working as a teacher’s sensitive hearing. People affected by Williams aide for Jr. K through the School to Work syndrome crave attention and acceptance, even program. This brings her joy and she loves to more than people without it. They thrive on the do it. She grades papers, reads to the kids, tells attention and words of affirmation. They want them stories, and takes them to snack time. to make people happy and want to help in any Her favorite thing is the interaction with the way they can. kids. She’s also learning life skills such as filling Dayton has been fortunate to not suffer out a time card, the responsibility of having a from too much bullying as most people know job and all that is entailed with that. Marcia Dayton with her mom. the family and Dayton, herself. There have also makes sure to teach life skills in the been instances and it’s hard on Dayton who house. They have never treated her differently just wants the acceptance from people and it’s and she has all the normal chores any kid also hard on Marcia. “When you know your would have. A part of Williams syndrome kid has been through hell and back; I almost is a need to please people so it’s not hard for lost her when she was born. When you know Dayton to want to help out in any way she everything you’ve been through … all you can. Dayton lives at home currently but she want to do is save her and to have her not feel wants to be more independent. She has some bad. And you can’t. And when you see a kid or of the skills to do so but because of her trusting even an adult, making fun of them…you just strangers she would need to be in a facility. don’t even know. And this kid would give you Her awareness of strangers is the biggest anything.” thing about her independence. An example The biggest thing that is currently hindering is, one time when Dayton was walking home Dayton right now is her prolapsed valve. The from the bus there was a car that was circling doctors are trying to move it along as long as her. Someone in the community who knows possible because once they replace it with a pig Dayton and the family saw this and followed Dayton with her mom and siblings. valve, she would need surgery every 10-15 years. her the rest of the way home to make sure she As she’s only 19, to expose the heart that many got there ok. They let her walk and made sure times with that much scar tissue would be fatal. Her valve is currently not to bring attention to anything so she didn’t get scared, but made opening differently than ours so when it opens it is throwing blood sure she got home. “That’s wonderful to me that people would do that to the top of her heart which is enlarging her heart. So her heart is for her.” Plus, Marcia isn’t quite ready to go to that step because Dayton working overtime. They are currently going to reevaluate everything in has so many opportunities through the Bon Homme school district. March where they want to do an EET on her and look for alternatives. Here soon she has an individual education plan to discuss her future. There has been talk of a transplant but the team of doctors wants to Marcia is hoping that instead of attending classes and doing School to make sure they look at every option to take the best route for Dayton. Work that she will enter the work force. This would probably involve This all brought about a funny story though. Dayton was recently at hiring someone to transport her to and from work but it would give the Omaha’s Children’s Hospital to get her heart catheter. She was Dayton a little more freedom which would be a win-win for both grandfathered in because her doctor there doesn’t want to let her go as Marcia and Dayton. Plus, with Dayton’s current health issues it worries a patient so she was the oldest patient in the hospital. After the surgery Marcia to let her go away from home. It’s also hard because Dayton is when Dayton was coming out of anesthesia she was asked how she trusting and a giver, so she’s not the best with money. was feeling. Her doctor happens to be fairly good looking and Dayton Music is important to Dayton. Dayton learned a lot through responded with, “all I know is there’s a hot doctor standing by my bed.” music and it also has a very calming effect on her. Plus, she’s pretty All of this may seem like Dayton may not have a full life but she knowledgeable about it. You can ask her who sings pretty much any would assure you that that’s wrong. Dayton goes to school, she works, song and she can tell you. She loves to sing and her favorite song and she has all the normal responsibilities that her siblings have. currently is “Attention” by Charlie Puth. She is very social and has a Throughout school, Dayton has had a teacher’s aide. As she was getting high vocabulary. She loves to use big words which Marcia tells me is older and going out for recess, Marcia wanted an extra set of eyes to common for Williams syndrome; as is gravitating to adults instead of make sure Dayton didn’t wander off. Marcia bucked the school a little her peers. She does have a good group of friends her age that help her bit as Dayton got older because Dayton was being pulled out of her out and are good friends to her. Dayton told me that she wants her normal classroom into a one-on-one time more often than she was job to be something working with kids. She enjoys teaching them and spending time with her actual peers. Marcia wanted Dayton to be having that interaction. They are generally happy and they get excited in the classroom with her peers more. She felt the one-on-one time to see her which makes her day. Her favorite food is hot dogs and she was depriving Dayton of learning the social skills and relating to her doesn’t like sadness. She told me her super power is cheering people peers She also felt it hindered her learning because she didn’t feel as on. “My instinct is to help people. Like when mom’s having a bad day I challenged in a setting where she had nothing to compare to. Marcia try to cheer her up. That’s what I do best.” Marcia told me, “she puts on researched Williams syndrome and classroom settings and wanted a cape and she’s going to save their day. There’s probably not a person her to have that challenge and those peer interactions. Dayton was vDAYTON continued on page 23 HERVOICEvJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018v17