But he’s doing it all — with a little help.
“Just like Donovan, he’s proven them wrong every day,” said Lori Robinson, Donovan’s grandma.
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Donovan has lissencephaly, or smooth brain syndrome. The folds in his brain didn’t develop properly during pregnancy. The rare condition affects four in 10 million kids and results in motor delays, limited speech and a lot of allergies.
Robinson said there’s no cure for the condition.
“I’ve had four doctors who’ve never heard of it. I had to explain to the doctors what it was,” Robinson said.
He also has a form of cerebral palsy. Every day activities like eating and walking are difficult.
“He expends a thousand times more energy to do walking or any activity that we do — it wears him out super quick,” she said.
Donovan gets around with the help of a walker but until recently, he still had to be carried into his front door because of the 18-inch flight of stairs.
With the help of Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center, Springfield Rotary Club and Developmental Disabilities of Clark County, Donovan is taking more steps toward independence.
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Donovan now can walk into his house thanks to a wooden ramp.
Ric Howard, senior carpentry instructor at CTC, said his classes take on a lot of big projects during the school year, but in cases like this — they drop everything to help.
“I have relatives with severe disabilities. I know how hard it is for parents and caregivers,” he said. “We try to help the community in any way we can.”
Howard said once the planning for the project was completed, he wanted to finish construction in one day because he knows how important accessibility is. About 20 juniors and seniors helped with the project in May.
“Everyone gets assigned their jobs and they do it. They knew it was a priority so everybody really hustled,” he said.
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Donovan’s early intervention specialist, Renae Sheets with Developmental Disabilities of Clark County, worked with Springfield Rotary to find funding for the ramp.
Robinson said she cried the first day Donovan walked up the ramp with his purple walker.
“This is a godsend. I was so ecstatic when they put it in,” she said. “They gave Donovan the ability to be more normal.”
Despite the circumstances, Robinson remains positive that Donovan will continue to wow his doctors and everyone he comes into contact with.
“Donovan has lissencephaly, but it doesn’t have him,” she said.
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