Larry Hernandez
At just a month shy of his third birthday, Larry Hernandez is sound asleep in his crib at St. Mary’s Hospital in
Richmond, Va. His mother, Josefina Ruiz, quietly and calmly watches over her baby, the youngest of her three
children. Being in the hospital with Larry is something Ruiz has grown used to.
“He has spent nearly half his life in the hospital,” she said. “The hospital is his second home.”
Born in Cumberland County, in central Virginia, Larry was a healthy baby until he began experiencing severe
feeding problems and developmental delays at 4 months old.
Larry’s family does not know the exact cause of his medical issues, which include generalized hypotonia
(muscle weakness throughout his body), microcephaly (abnormally small head) and scoliosis (a sideways
curvature of the spine). Larry also has a tracheostomy, a surgically created hole in the trachea that helps him to
breathe, and a gastrostomy tube that delivers all of his food directly to his stomach. He has recurring
pneumonia, caused when food goes into his lungs instead of his stomach. When he’s not hospitalized, Larry has
full-time nursing care at home.
Secondary to his medical challenges, Larry is delayed in all areas of his development – fine and gross motor
skills, language, self-help and cognition. At times, he is hospitalized for two months at a time, which further
complicates his developmental progress.
At 6 months old, Larry was referred to the Infant and Toddler Connection (ITC) of the Heartland for help with
his developmental, speech and cognition delays. The program provides early intervention services to children
ages birth to 3 years. ITC is part of Longwood University’s Speech, Hearing and Learning Services, which
offers professional speech-language, educational and early intervention programs to children and families in
Southcentral, Va.
The ITC partners with Larry’s family, caretakers and medical providers to set goals for his development and
help Larry make gains in his quality of life. Because the family’s first language is Spanish, ITC contracts with
an interpreter to ensure communication is not a barrier to services.
“One of the most exciting days was when his physical therapist was playing with Larry and using a talking
Elmo toy,” Ruiz said. “The toy made a laughing sound and threw its head back, and all of sudden Larry did the
same, imitating Elmo. It showed us that he was connecting and responding to something he thought was fun.”
And Larry continues to make progress. He’s rolling over and grabbing at toys, supporting weight on his legs
and trying to sit up. He’s working to communicate by choosing between objects, gesturing and making facial
expressions.
Looking beyond the illnesses and developmental hurdles, Larry is a child who loves to laugh and listen to music
and stories. A beautiful little boy with a head full of dark hair, Larry’s will to thrive captures the hearts of
everyone who cares for him.
“It’s hard to explain, but people never seem to be able to let him go,” Ruiz said. “We have people who worked
with him in the past who still call to keep in touch and check in on him. Everyone wants the same thing for
Larry – to see him learn, and move and play and keep laughing. We are all fighting to help him overcome his
barriers and reach his goals, and we’ll never give up.”
ITC serves the seven counties of Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway and
Prince Edward, totally 2,829 square miles of service territory. It is one of 40 early intervention programs in
Virginia and the only birth to age 3 therapy program in the commonwealth that provides services to families in
their child’s natural environment. ITC clinicians travel to daycares, homes and places in the community, a
vitally important service to families in rural areas.
ITC is located at 315 Third St. in Farmville. For more information, call 434.395.2967 or visit
longwood.edu/infanttoddlerconnection.