A Caregiver's Perspective

Back in January, we met with the Columbus Zoo with an idea. I then created a presentation based on that idea. This letter was crafted by my mom to help convey what an adult-sized changing table at the Zoo could mean to families like ours.

If you would like to share how this changing table will help YOUR family at the Zoo, please email me at: StayAllDayProject@gmail.com

"My name is Emma Brohard. I am a mom to six children – Olivia, Ella, Abram, Heath, Mollie, and Poppy. Abram and Heath are my identical twin sons. They were born three months early due to a condition called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. Heath passed away when he was three weeks old, and after an eight month stay in the hospital, Abram was able to come home.

Abram lived with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He was deaf, needed full assistance with all activities of daily living, and relied on all of us as a family for his care. We went everywhere together; we were all active participants in Abram’s life. Abram and his four sisters were a tight, cohesive unit.

As a family, we were always looking for fun, stimulating activities that we could all enjoy. One of our family’s favorite places to visit was the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. It’s fully accessible, even down to the train and boat rides. It was a great place to visit for our whole family – but more importantly – it was the one place where Abram could be fully immersed from the moment we arrived to the moment we left.

The *only* thing Abram could do for himself was visually engage with the things around him, so we tried to make sure that the things around him were as fun and engaging as can be. Abram especially loved Discovery Reef, and Animal Encounters. Thanks to the zoo, he has petted baby cheetahs, stroked a fennec fox, and tickled the tummy of an armadillo.

Our family always enjoyed experiencing the zoo with Abram, with only one drawback; we’d often have to cut our visits short because there was nowhere to adequately take care of Abram’s bathroom needs. Creating a fully accessible bathroom at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will allow many families to enjoy a complete day of uninterrupted fun. It would allow all visitors, regardless of age or ability, to enjoy the zoo for as long and as often as they please.

Abram loved the zoo. We loved Abram. We loved places that could fully accommodate our whole family. We would love for The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to lead the way with this opportunity to share the mission of conservation and animal education with many, many more people.

Thank you for reading,

Emma"