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w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
ELI'S WISH
Traveling across the coun-
try with multiple children
can be a challenging feat
for any family, but for fam-
ilies with a child living with
complex medical needs,
such trips require height-
ened levels of planning and
organization.
Prior to applying to the
Montana Hope Project on
behalf of their son, Eli, Ja- mie and Casey Buechler hadn't
given much consideration to the idea of taking their three boys
to visit Disney World.
"We didn't think it was even a possibility," Jamie says. "We were
doing five to ten therapies a week and in the midst of that, you
kind of forget how to be with one another as a family. We really
wanted the opportunity to have our whole family together and
to enjoy that time and not have to think about everything else."
Eli, now a 14-year-old Billings West High School student,
was born with
HECW2-related
syndrome, an ex-
tremely rare neu-
rodevelopmental
disorder that af-
fects the brain and
nervous system,
and impacts near-
ly every aspect of
his life.
"Cognitively, he's at about one year old," Jamie ex-
plains. "He is visually impaired, has a seizure disorder, doesn't
walk or talk, has severe hypotonia, is feeding-tube fed, and is in
a wheelchair most of the time."
Like many teens, Eli enjoys rocking out to his favorite songs.
He also adores lights and colors, and has the most stunning blue
eyes imaginable.
"I think the best part about him is his smile," Jamie says.
"When you're having a bad day, you can come home and look
at him and all of that negativity just disappears."
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