The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. — William Arthur Ward

All paths eventually come to an end where another begins; this is growth; this is life.⁣

With this quote and so much support, my son Kygo and I adjusted our sails and started our helmet journey at six months of age. Kygo is a twin, and because of his twin, space was limited. He was pressured into my pelvis pretty early in his development in the womb. Weighing in at 6 lbs each, my son and his sister were born perfectly healthy, yet Kygo’s head wasn’t quite right.

Kygo’s pediatrician reassured us at every visit that his cone head and asymmetry would eventually correct itself although time and time again, it never improved. We were told to take corrective measures ourselves, such as specially made pillows, sleeping on his tummy, position correction, limited time laying on his back, etc. We did it all! Kygo wasn’t meeting his major milestones, and something in my heart just knew I needed to fight for him. Advocating for my child was one of the most important skills to have obtained as a mother; he had no voice, so I had to be a strong voice for him. I challenged Kygo’s pediatrician one last time, and she finally referred me to a specialist.

Kygo was sent for a scan and diagnosed with plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) and asymmetry on the back right side of his head. Kygo’s cephalic ratio was 104.8%, cranial asymmetry was 6.8mm, and circumference was 440.9mm.

Our cranial specialist is such a light of hope and reassurance! She always made us feel like our journey wasn’t one traveled alone, and she was there 24/7 to answer any crazy, insecure questions I had. Kygo was in love with her energy and was always delighted to go in for a scan or measurements (which we had several times).

Week 1 of helmet wearing was a battle. He hated it! Eventually, after about five days, he settled in. Kygo lived in that helmet 23 hours a day through the heat, the playdates, the family vacations, and through half of his first year of life. It wasn’t always easy for me as a mom. I knew when people saw him and gave us strange looks that I needed to educate people on the many ways a helmet can help a child, and that all children were beautiful in them and still children. I decided to go with some amazing decals on his helmet even though STARband had so many adorable prints to choose from. These decals were exactly what we needed to not only educate but also have fun on our helmet journey. This journey wasn’t only Kygo’s; it was all of ours.

Laila, his sister, loved Ky’s helmet! At first, she didn’t know what to do but giggled and caressed it. To this day, she and Kygo will pull his helmet from the shelf and just stare and point at the decals as they both discuss their findings.

At every visit, we saw signs of improvement. On his last appointment coincided with the twins’ original due date of October 24, 2019, and his helmet was decommissioned. We got our final results: cephalic ratio was 96.5%, cranial asymmetry was 2.8mm, and circumference was 461.6mm. We were pleased with how much rounder our little guy’s head was, and friends and family couldn’t give us enough compliments on how much he had improved.

The decision was ultimately ours as parents. We want to protect our children and let them live their very best lives. Anything that interferes with that vision interferes with our souls and disrupts our hearts. I am so thankful for advanced technology in today’s society and thrilled we were able to make a difference in our son’s life by correcting his asymmetrical head with a STARband! I can rest assured that I did everything in my power to give my son the confidence he needs and allow him to thrive in pursuit of his milestones, all because I advocated and became his voice and started his helmet journey with STARband.