Hunt's Story
Hunt Michael Hollis was born on his due date in Oct 2009
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October, 2009
Hunt was born a healthy and happy baby. However, from the beginning he had challenges eating and getting sick. Our laundry loads doubled as his sickness got worse and more frequent, making clean up an hourly chore.
Throughout his first year Hunt saw GI and Genetics doctors at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. He did all the gastrointestinal tests including testing for cystic fibrosis, a swallow study, stomach ultrasound, colonoscopy, endoscopy, blood and urine tests, upper and lower GI x-rays, Impedance pH Probe, etc. All of the tests came back normal.
The GI doctors diagnosed Hunt with “Failure to Thrive.” Since his birth he has been in the less than 3rd percentile for his height and weight. We started seeing a nutritionist at Vanderbilt who recommended a higher calorie formula to help him grow.
9 Months
At nine months old we started working with Tennessee Early Intervention Services (TEIS). He started physical therapy, feeding therapy, and occupational therapy at High Hopes Pediatric Therapy Clinic. His feeding therapist helped him to eat baby food and eventually other foods. His physical therapist helped him to crawl and then walk with braces on his legs with a walker. At 19 months he started walking on his own. This was a huge milestone!
1 Year
At Hunt’s one-year check up the pediatrician sent his records to other children’s hospitals to get a second opinion. We found a DNA, genetics, and mitochondrial disease specialist in Atlanta, GA. She recommended a series of tests including a brain MRI, chromosome microarray studies, and thyroid function tests which were all normal.
16 Months - Diagnosis
At 16 months old the genetics doctor diagnosed Hunt with an energy disorder called “mitochondrial disease” after an extensive test analyzed every strand of Hunt’s mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial disease or “mito” is a chronic, genetic disorder that occurs when the mitochondria of the cell fails to produce enough energy for cell or organ function. Mitochondrial disease is progressive in nature, but it is not an auto-immune disease. It is caused by a change in a gene that alters the energy pathways. Mitochondrial disease is associated with growth problems, low muscle tone, and developmental delays. At 15 years old Hunt is still in occupational therapy and speech/language therapy.
Hunt has also been diagnosed with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder. We are thankful to have a diagnosis so that we can understand these challenges.
Throughout Hunt’s life with this multiple therapies, doctors appointments and tests, we have asked ourselves “what can we do?” Mike and I decided that the best thing we can do for Hunt is to support him through his therapies and by being happy and healthy parents. We want to be sure that Hunt laughs every day and that he knows he is loved.
Foundation of Team Hunt
We started Team Hunt with the goal of raising money by running in races for those who can’t run. Throughout training we found ourselves thinking, “if Hunt can go through what he has been through, then we can run one more mile, swim one more lap, hike up the hill one more time”.
There are many children who experience challenges growing mentally and physically so we decided that the other part of “what we can do” is to create THE HUNT MICHAEL HOLLIS FUND of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to support therapy programs and other families who have children with special needs.
Team Hunt Adventures
When Hunt was 7 we expanded our mission with Team Hunt Adventure when we realized that adventure is the best therapy. We overland, camp, hike, bike, canoe, and explore to show that being in nature has healing benefits to mind, body and spirit. Hunt has blossomed in the summers that we travel and camp.
His social skills, appetite, physical strength, creativity, language, and attitude have improved tremendously. We weave in therapy and educational opportunities as we travel. The benefits have been amazing for our whole family. Getting outside increases creativity and imagination.
Adventure is good for the soul.
Our Motto
Hunt’s motto is “Be Kind, Be Present, and Do great things.”
Please join Team Hunt as we do great things and give back to charities locally and across the country. Thank you for joining us!
With Love and Hope always,
The Hollis Family
Disclaimer
Team Hunt and Team Hunt Adventure lead our fundraising initiatives for The Hunt Michael Hollis Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle TN. We are dedicated to supporting therapy programs locally and nationally. We are a 401c3 non-profit and ensure that every dollar raised goes directly to organizations, not our personal medical expenses or travel.