NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When you're a new parent, life is full of worry. Luckily, when one mom became concerned for her little one, she was given assurance. There was something she could do. This has turned into something a family will always cherish.
"Did you find some more?" mom Alison Swenson asked, as her one-year-old Troy reached into a box for some more snacks.
"My husband is an Apache pilot, and he has been in the Army since October 2016," Alison explained.
"Oh, he loves his daddy," she continued, referring to Troy. "Daddy's super fun, and he loves what he does. [Troy] has even got to sit in an Apache before."
Something's brought Alison to Hanger Clinic today, something Orthotist and Prosthetist Jason Ramsey said is very common in babies.
"These kids, usually from preferred sleeping positions, develop a flat spot on their head," he said. "We have the orthotic helmet to correct the shape. All it does is redirect the natural growth pattern."
With dad Aaron deployed with Fort Campbell right now, the family had an idea of what to do: give Troy a helmet like his dad's pilot helmet.
"We knew he was going to be leaving during this kind of treatment, and so we still wanted him to have that connection with his daddy while he was gone," Alison said. "My husband has his name on it, and it says DLCP. For daddy's little co-pilot."
Troy's worn the helmet from Hanger Clinic for a few months now. Measurement at the clinic showed Troy has made progress, but Alison's decided the helmet's going to stay a little while longer. Someday soon, it will be off, but for a mom, that helmet's always going to be something she keeps for the memories.
