But on a recent Saturday, Michael Westerhoff was so excited to get into the pool, he forgot the goggles completely.
On that day, the 11-year-old climbed down the steps into the pool with his father's help. Smiling, Michael repeatedly raised his arms high, then swiftly smacked the water, sending bubbly sprays in every direction.
He dunked his 14-year-old brother, Reed, rode on Reed's back, dived after balls, dodged streams of water and played games with his family and Reed's friend, Kyle Thorburn, 14.
The contrast between Michael in and outside the swimming pool is striking.
The water buoys both his body and spirit.
Outside the pool, Michael's multiple disabilities are burdensome. In the water, they seem to float away.
The 4-foot-deep, 17x9-foot, soft-sided indoor pool equipped with current-making jets was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska. It was a first for the organization, though it had built an outdoor pool before.
Begun in August, the pool and ramp were completed in early October. Temperature controls - the water is kept warm for its therapeutic value - and chemical balance were then ironed out.
Typically, Make-a-Wish Nebraska grants around 100 wishes a year throughout the state to those with life-threatening or terminal conditions, according to vice president Kiley Thiele.
Children's conditions do not have to be terminal before Make-A-Wish steps in, Thiele said, countering popular understanding. Those who are granted wishes may have life-threatening disabilities but they aren't necessarily terminal. "Many have gone on to live very happy lives," she said.
Several considerations entered into the choice for an indoor pool, Ray Westerhoff, Michael's father, said. "We wanted a wish that was long term that would improve the quality and, hopefully, the quantity of his life," Ray said.
Other considerations included Michael's obvious love of the water; the physical advances Michael has made in his weekly aquatic therapy sessions in Lincoln; and the fact that it provided a family activity, replacing walks and other family activities Michael could no longer do.
Recognizing Michael feels most like a kid when he's in the water, and the fact that one of his maladies causes him to fall a lot, Thiele said the pool was ideal for him to play in and have fun with others.
Friends, volunteers and local businesses contributed time, skills and materials to shave costs off of the endeavor. As a result of their generosity, the cost of the pool "should be right in line with the average wish, which costs $7,500," Thiele said.
If Michael's weekly aquatic therapy is any indication, daily swimming activity in his own pool is bound to lead to better mobility, better breathing, increased strength and endurance, all goals Chrissy Scheer has for him.
Scheer, a physical therapist with Handprints and Footsteps in Lincoln, has worked with Michael in aquatic therapy since January.
"He can (now) last 45 minutes of hard exercise, where it was 10 to 15 minutes in January," Scheer said.
"He opens up and plays. He gets to be a kid," she said, adding that gravity, his nemesis on land, is nonexistent in water. "He can move, he can run, jump, dive, swim under water, splash people. All that (mobility) is very very hard for him to do on land," she said.
Unexpected pluses have also emerged: "His speech therapist noticed he can put more words and phrases together in one breath," Scheer said. Also, she said, Michael sleeps a lot better after being in the pool, waking only once a night instead of many times.
"I have seen some nice changes in the water for him. He has such a sense of accomplishment."
* * *
Michael was nearly 4 when he was adopted by the Westerhoffs.
"He had a very challenging beginning, to say the least," Michael's mom, Jammie Westerhoff, said. "He was in his birth home for two and one-half years. He was in fairly permanent foster care for another year and one half."
Even though Michael is autistic, which limits a child's ability to communicate and interact with others, Michael literally reached out to the Westerhoffs in their first meeting and won their hearts.
"He came up to Jammie and grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the room," Ray said. "He picked us just as much as anything."
Jammie chimed in: "He climbed up in my arms and was quite affectionate."
After weeks and weeks of parenting classes, the Westerhoffs were told on Nov. 13 that they had been selected as Michael's parents. Evenings and overnights together followed.
"He got to come home forever on Dec. 21," said Jammie, a warm and generous woman who studied biology and anthropology in college and who home schools both Michael and Reed.
Michael's medical problems are mind boggling: moderate to profound mental retardation, speech dyspraxia (essentially a disconnect between the mouth and the brain); a growth disorder with advanced bone age (currently bones of a 16-year-old), Wilm's tumor, early-stage liver disease, a sensory disorder, a seizure disorder, early-stage glaucoma, mobility issues and more.
While play and exercises in the water will "work Michael's lungs," the pool's current will increase Michael's strength and endurance as he pushes against it, explained Ray. Toward that end, Reed often braces his body against Michael's so Michael is positioned in the strongest part of the current, instead of being pushed out to where the current is weaker.
For Michael, despite the patience and creativity of his parents and brother, learning can be frustrating. He'd learned all his letters and the sounds they made when a seizure caused him to lose all that knowledge, Jammie said. "We spent a year and one-half relearning," she said.
Despite his medical issues and setbacks, Michael is a regular kid in many respects. He loves pizza and macaroni and cheese. He watches the Huskers and is adept at computer games. He also relishes playing with one of the family's dogs, Puppa, a Golden Doodle, in the pool.
Ray, a Web developer for Channel Bio in Lincoln, noted, "Everything is so hard for him on land. Just walking, putting one foot in front of the other," takes extraordinary effort.
Hoping to take full advantage of Michael's love for the water, Ray said he plans to "disguise his exercises as play time."
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