Bentley’s Story

When Josh and Megan Propp got the call, they were…surprised to say the least. The couple were looking into adoption and, while they spent years planning and preparing themselves to welcome a new child into their little family, they were not ready for what life was about to offer.

“Our adoption agency contacted us and said, ‘a sibling group this young hardly ever comes through the system like this,’” Megan remembered. “So, we asked them to submit our name and if they chose us, they chose us. And if not, then, it wasn’t a ‘meant to be kind’ of a thing.”

It was meant to be.

Megan and Josh welcomed two brothers, Jadyn and Bentley into their lives and immediately fell in love. They also immediately saw just how tiny Bentley was.

“Bentley was born at 27 weeks,” Propp said. “He was one pound, twelve ounces when he was born, and 27 weeks is right when the eyes are developing. Because of that, his eyes didn’t fully develop, and he was born with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia.”

Optic Nerve Hypoplasia is defined as the underdeveloped or absence of the optic nerve, which could lead to blindness. That wasn’t the case for Bentley, yet, but Josh and Megan still wanted to know what they were dealing with exactly, so they brought Bentley to the Child Development Center of Natrona County.

“We brought him to CDC because we just wanted to start from scratch with all of his testing,” Propp stated. “So, we partnered with them and we were able to get some different assessments done that maybe we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. The care that he got at CDC and the things that they were willing to try and willing to do and willing to accommodate for just really set the foundation for him. Now he’s in kindergarten and he’s learning how to read and write and how to advocate for himself.”

The services CDC offered Bentley were many and varied, Propp noticed. “They played a lot with him when he was practicing writing his name, and when he was reading something, they experimented with font size and highlighters. They made sure the pictures were accessible to him- that he could look at them ahead of time before reading them. So, he was able to listen to the story and not have to focus on hearing the story while looking at pictures at the same time. They really worked with him on the playground, too; keeping him, at first, on the lower levels of all of the equipment. And then, when he was comfortable and when he felt ready, he made his way higher up on the equipment. And, I mean, the list just goes on and on and on.”

Now that Bentley is in Kindergarten, Josh and Megan appreciate even more what the Child Development Center was able to prepare them for.

“CDC really helped lay the foundation for Bentley, and my hope is that parents who may feel lost or uncertain get the hope, support and peace-of-mind they need from the amazing people and services at the Child Development Center.”