When Tyler plays fetch with Indie the dog and Peanut the cat, Trent just laughs and laughs.
“And sometimes I will put the ball near Trent and act like he is throwing the ball and he laughs at that. He loves making voices, impersonating movies. During his freshman year of high school we would do a lot of thumb wrestling and he would use his other hand, and I teased him about cheating, and now, even though he does not have control of his hand, he remembers that and I will tease him about cheating at thumb wrestling and he laughs at that. He is pretty spirited, he loves to laugh, it is very contagious,” says Tyler.
Tyler first met Trent in 2003 while Tyler was an instructional assistant at Athey Creek Middle School in a special needs class. Trent was an eighth grader and Tyler had just finished his degree at Multnomah and was also an intern in youth ministries at Rolling Hills. He got to know Trent quite well while assisting in the classroom at Athey.
Trent has a rare terminal diagnosis; he is one of only a handful of cases in the State of Oregon in the past 30 years with that particular condition. He has seizures. He now uses a feeding tube to eat. He cannot dress himself.
“At the time that I started working with Trent, he was walking with the assistance of a walker but by the end of the year he was in his wheelchair full time.”
Tyler attended Trent’s eighth grade graduation. “Trent was never made fun of at school. Everyone grew up with Trent, from kindergarten on. I got to wheel Trent out on the stage when he got his diploma, and he was given a standing ovation. His reputation for being the young man that he was, was very contagious.”
When Trent continued his education at Wilsonville High School, Tyler was asked to help Trent in the family’s West Linn home on a regular basis. His family is also a believing family. “I just really hit it off with Trent, and his Mom and Dad saw that and I think that our mutual faith gave them a peace of mind to invite me into their home.”
Tyler has been arriving at Trent’s house at 7 a.m. most school mornings since 2004 to help Trent prepare for school. Trent was 14 when Tyler started. Trent is now 19 and attending a post-high school special school.
“I feed him breakfast, get him dressed. Over the five years he has become chair ridden with no use of his legs. He has been non verbal the past two years. He now gets fed through the tube. It changes each year. We read books together; we listen to his Odyssey and Veggie Tales tapes. I stay with him ‘til the school bus comes. We listen to music on his I-Pod which was given to him by actor Will Smith during Trent’s Make-a-Wish day. Trent has the joy of the Lord in him and he blesses you without even saying anything.”
He attended Tyler’s marriage to Kate in 2006. “It was here at the church. I did not see him before hand and when it came time to do our vows, Trent heard my voice — it was miked — and he was very excited hearing us do our vows. He responded out loud to the vows, it was audible, and he can’t speak so he communicates by making noises. For him it starts with a big smile and turns into a happy screech, and everyone at the wedding heard it, and they all know about Trent in my life. It made the moment that much more special.”
This summer Trent’s mom and dad needed some time to get away, so Tyler came over on three days to take care of Trent.
“He is loving life in his current situation, that is a testimony, being happy with simple things.”
“I read the scriptures of doing unto the least of these, and I know he has taught me about having a servant’s heart.”
Originally published in Rolling Hills Community Church blog at: http://rhcc-compassion.blogspot.com/2009/08/home-in-trents-world.html
