“Take him home and love him.” That’s what doctors told Michael Barry and his wife, Kathleen, after their son, Dan, at the age of 8, suffered a stroke following a diabetic crisis. But the Barrys had faith that Dan’s future would be far richer than his doctors expected—Dan would challenge his parents, argue with his siblings, impress his family and achieve great things. He’d just need more help getting there.

In December 1996, Dan Barry was a typical, healthy 8 ½ year-old-boy. But one night, he complained of aches and pains that intensified so much that his parents rushed him to the hospital, where he lost consciousness. His body gave off a “juicy fruit” odor that suggested he might be experiencing a diabetic crisis. Emergency room staffers performed a finger stick test to measure Dan’s blood glucose level. Normal levels range from 75 to 100 milligrams per deciliter—Dan’s measured almost 900 mg/dL. His body was also starved for fluids. As doctors struggled to rehydrate Dan, he suffered a debilitating stroke.

Dan, now 15, survived the stroke and started on the long road to recovery. Six months later, he was ready to return to school, but his parents found few places that could meet Dan’s needs for nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy on top of an academic program. That’s when he was referred to Kennedy Krieger Lower School. He enrolled there 10 days before his ninth birthday.

“With all the services Dan needed, we knew it was going to be a battle,” says Mr. Barry. “But the staff at the Kennedy Krieger schools has lots of experience working with kids with more complicated needs.” Dan still needs breaks during the school day to eat snacks and have his insulin levels checked—his teachers always make sure any material he misses is covered as soon as possible.

After six years at Kennedy Krieger Lower and Middle Schools, Dan moved to the Kennedy Krieger High School Career and Technology Center. There, he’ll have an opportunity to learn about careers in four different fields: retail, construction, hospitality and information technology. Students at the high school can choose to pursue a Maryland High School diploma or a certificate of completion. Dan is in the certificate program, which allows him more time for independent living lessons such as cooking and managing public transportation systems. This knowledge will be invaluable in a few years as Dan leaves school, searches for a job and moves from his parents’ house to a more independent setting. He won’t choose a specific career cluster until next year, but homeroom teacher Kathryn Sapp says Dan has adapted well to each program he’s tried so far. In particular, “he’s very outgoing, and really enjoys working with the public,” she says.

Academically, Dan excels in math and participates in an algebra group in addition to his regular functional math class. Outside the classroom, he competes in the Special Olympics in track and field, swimming, basketball, equestrian and other events. His teacher says the knowledge Dan brings from these experiences enriches the classroom environment. “His participation level is phenomenal, and he’s really able to add a lot of insight to our lessons,” says Sapp.

A very positive person, Dan has sometimes struggled expressing less intense emotions—a tendency that has led to frustration and, on rare instances, behavioral outbursts. But mental health case manager Megan Mayforth says that Dan’s doing a much better job identifying times when he’s not as happy and choosing appropriate ways to address those emotions. “As a result, he gets along much better with others, and he’s very proud of that,” she says.

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For more extensive information on related Kennedy Krieger clinical programs, school programs, research and educational articles see Diagnoses/Dx: Brain Injury