April has been the first “therapy free” month ever since Jake’s first diagnosis of low muscle tone in August 04. Though it’s been a much needed and deserved break, Jake continues to work hard at home and excel on his own. He can now stand up in his playroom using only the pad on the wall to pull himself up. He just realized the blinds are a new toy he's never been able to reach. It’s astonishing to see what he is able to teach himself to do. As usual, we are thrilled with his new accomplishment but concerned about him harming himself. As you can see in the video, he will be able to reach the glass in just a few short months. Once he’s able to reach the glass, we'll have to build the next phase of "jake-proofing" the window to be sure he doesn’t put an arm through it.

Florida weather has been beautiful so Jake’s been spending a lot of time outside. We’ve found local parks that are handicap accessible and local parks that have soft terrain around the playground. We can’t express in words what it’s like to watch Jake play and explore a playground on his own just like a typical kid would do. Maybe taking a break from therapy was therapy in itself for all of us!

As many of you know, Jake doesn't have a prognosis because we don't have an exact diagnosis. With that being said, we refuse to accept “I don’t know” for an answer. We are currently looking into new therapies for him. We are considering Horseback Riding Therapy and have already signed him up for another round of Hyperbaric oxygen therapy which will start May 31st.

As I write this, Jen and the rest of Team Cure CMD are en route to New Jersey for the Half Marathon. The event is tomorrow, May 2nd. I'm so proud of her, her family and friends for joining the team and raising over $21,000.

We want to thank everyone who supported Jake’s mom in raising funds for Cure CMD, her goal was met and exceeded. She will be running along side many other parents of children who have a similar diagnosis as Jake. Together, we are all working to make sure no other families battling CMD have to hear those intolerable words “I don’t know”.

None of this is possible without you, Jake's supporters! We thank you so much for following our little boy on his amazing journey.