Congratulations to our 2012 Special Fester, Erik O'Brien!

Please watch this page for more details on nominating a Special Fester for our 2013 Oktoberfest Celebration!

Know someone who you think would be a good fit as a Special Fester?

Submit a nomination form (download printable PDF when available) and return it to:
Chileda
Attn: Shari Carlson
1825 Victory Street
La Crosse, WI 54601

Congratulations to our 2012 Special Fester, Erik O'Brien

Erik is 10 ½ years old and currently is a 5th grader at Spence Elementary in La Crosse.   He is a very social boy who loves people and loves participating in just about any activity.  He rides horses at Horse Sense for Special Riders and his favorite horses are Taz, Bowie, QT and Tito.  Erik attends TASK karate and is currently a green belt!

During winter months, Erik loves carving up the corduroy at Mt LaX.   During the summer he loves swimming and boating on the Mississippi River.  He even took up golf and practices putting at Forest Hills!  Erik has a guinea pig named “Old Dentist” (named after his Dentist that he loves).  He also owns two pigs which weigh 500 pounds each named after his teachers (Bina Pig and Poff Pig).  Erik has several other pigs which he loves showing at the county fair.

Erik loves trying new things and isn’t afraid of anything.  He loves the rides at Oktoberfest and will try any of them he is tall enough to do.  He loves spending time with his cousins.  He especially enjoys teasing them and playing April Fool’s Jokes on them (year round we might add!). 

Erik was diagnosed with a “developmental delay” around 6 months of age.   He was 3 years old when he was finally diagnosed with a neurotransmitter deficiency (AADC).  A disease that is similar in nature to Parkinson’s.    His body does not make dopamine the correct way.   Dopamine is what helps the brain communicate with the rest of the body.  So his “information superhighway” from the brain to the rest of the body doesn’t work as well as it should.   Once he was diagnosed, he began taking a medication that is common for Parkinson’s patients.   Shortly after starting the medication, he began walking and vocalizing sounds.

Thanks to speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, Erik’s abilities have improved tremendously over the years.  He is able to participate in just about any activity he wants to.  The La Crosse community has a lot to offer individuals with special needs and Erik benefits from many of these agencies and programs.   He still has difficulty with speech and his fine and gross motor skills, but that doesn’t slow him down! 

For more information on AADC (aromatic-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency) Erik has and the symptoms associated with it, please visit www.pndassoc.org.  Some symptoms include: difficulty with speech (apraxia), Hyptonia, Excessive sweating, Hypersalivation, GERD, Growth deficiency, High blood pressure, and enamel hypoplasia or incomplete or defective development of the enamel of the teeth.

We are proud to welcome Erik and his parents Kevin and Marlis O'Brien in to our Oktoberfest family!

^* Fondly remembered.