ASECONDCHANCE
It's almost as if Sharon Henderson had seen it all before -- and felt the pain already.
She had already lost her first son, Jeremiah, in 2003, after a short life riddled with ailments.
Now, Sharon is fighting the same emotional battles again, this time alongside her second son, Dallas.
Dallas lives with two major genetic disorders, which have taken away his ability to walk. Neurofibromatosis type 1, or NF1, has caused bone problems and learning disabilities, as well as the growth of benign tumors along the course of nerves throughout parts of his body. He also has an unknown skeletal dysplasia, which is a type of dwarfism.
In 2010, his airway was damaged during a dental procedure, causing grade 4 stenosis. Because of the stenosis, Dallas received a tracheotomy that must be monitored and kept in place at all times.
These conditions have left Dallas in need of constant care. Now, he either has a night nurse, a day nurse or his mother, Sharon, at his side at all times. But Dallas doesn't see these conditions as a limitation -- and neither does Sharon.
Sharon Henderson holds pictures of her sons. Dallas, right, sits next to his brother, Jeremiah, left. Jeremiah passed away when he was 5 years old in December 2003 because of health issues.
Sharon wipes Dallas' tracheotomy tube as he coughs on Friday, June 21, 2013, at their home in Opelika. "We'd done so well," Sharon said. "He hasn't been sick like this all year."
Sharon Henderson administers medicine straight into Dallas' G-Tube on Friday, June 21, 2013, at their apartment in Opelika.
Sharon Henderson speaks to her parents, Arnold and Ethel Glynn, and partner, Kerry Rudolph, about the oxygen concentrator that stopped working on Friday, June 21, 2013. The concentrator was loaned through the state as part of the Starr program. It is used to help Dallas breathe when he is ill.
Sharon rests her head on Dallas while waiting in the emergency room at East Alabama Medical Center on Sunday, June 23, 2013. Sharon said she had gotten little sleep since Dallas' illness started two days ago. Dallas suffers from two genetic disorders, Neurofibromatosis type one and skeletal dysplasia. "Live life to the fullest," Sharon said. "Whether those moments are good or bad, it's a roller-coaster ride, so put your seat belt on and love your child."
Sharon Henderson puts Dallas in a car to go home from the EAMC emergency room in Opelika, Ala., on Sunday, June 23, 2013.
Sharon pats Dallas' back as a nurse suctions his tracheotomy at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Dallas was hospitalized for nine days and underwent surgery to remove tissue that was blocking his airway. Sharon said Dallas was unable to eat for five to six days. While in the hospital, he was given nutrition through his G-Tube.
Dallas Henderson smiles Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013. He had received a tracheotomy May 14, 2010 after undergoing dental surgery to have a tooth removed that had been fractured to the nerve as a result of his skeletal dysplasia. According to Sharon Henderson, Dallas was intubated excessively during the surgery at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Ala. The tubes used were designed for a normal 11-year-old boy. However, the tubes were too large for Dallas' throat because of his skeletal dysplasia and damaged his airway, causing grade 4 stenosis. The tracheotomy was a result of this damage. After these procedures, Sharon said they were in the hospital for about a month. "It was just me and my mom and Dallas," Sharon said. "We had nothing because we planned to only be there for the afternoon."
Sharon lifts Dallas into their van before pushing his chair up a makeshift ramp into the back of it to travel to Connect Church in Opelika for worship on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. Sharon said she wished they had a handicap-accessible van to ease traveling, but they couldn't afford it.
Twila Ware, Dallas' day nurse, suctions Dallas in an empty classroom for privacy from other students attending school at Opelika Elementary School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. "Dallas has grade 4 stenosis, which means he requires a trach, and if it comes out it must be reinserted immediately," Sharon said. Sharon added Dallas requires constant monitoring because of the damage to his airway, so he has a day nurse and a night nurse to watch him while the family sleeps.
Dallas shares a moment with Michael Murph, 13, as Rishi Yadav, 13, sits between them during PE class at Opelika Middle School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. "Dallas loves people," Sharon said. "He loves to say hi. He gets offended when people don't speak."
Jake Heoms, 13, walks behind Dallas as they spend time together at Dallas' apartment complex in Opelika on Thursday, July 18, 2013. Jake is a special education classmate at Opelika Middle School.
Dallas stares out the window while waiting for his neighbor, Kylee Jordan, 5, to come home from school on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, in Opelika.
Dallas moves his name onto a star as Amy Varner, Auburn University special education intern, holds him up on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, at Opelika Middle School. "He may not be able to talk, but he can communicate," Sharon said.
Sharon gives Dallas his daily medication through his G-Tube on Wednesday, September 11, 2013, as Rylee Jordan, 5, tickles him and Emani Haamid, 6, watches.
Dallas looks at the project he completed at the children's service at Connect Church in Opelika on Sept. 29, 2013.