It took a special kind of teamwork and unique drysuit to give Ramon a chance to enjoy water. 

Ramon’s father, who is also a nurse and recreational scuba diver, teamed up with Children’s Therapy TEAM pediatric occupational therapist Ashley Sharp, and the Hammond equipment manufacturer in England. 

Because of Ramon’s Hirschsprung’s disease he has missed out on many opportunities to play in water throughout his life. After surgery as an infant to remove his large intestine and most of his small intestines, Ramon needed a central line IV to his heart, an ostomy bag, and gastrostomy tube for feeding. 

Families with children like Ramon are told their children can’t go swimming because they must keep their central line IV dry to prevent direct access to the bloodstream which could introduce infection. Several years ago this is exactly what a physician with a daughter with medical equipment like Ramon understood. The doctor advocated for his daughter by reaching out to the Hammond company. This is when the Hickman’s Shortie Drysuit for children like Ramon was born!

As Ramon’s pediatric OT Ashley Sharp assisted the family with taking careful measurements and reaching out to the manufacturer directly. Three days before Ramon’s family left for a vacation the drysuit arrived from England. Ramon’s father shared, “He was able to go swimming for the first time. Seeing the smile of his face was just magnificent.”

The story is debuting on KNWA/Fox 24 and also here on Children’s Therapy T.E.A.M. News and Children’s T.E.A.M.’s YouTube channel.