April 2023 Special Needs Living Akron/Canton

Cover Story- Landon & Veronica Myers

Written By Melissa Klatt with Photos by Michelle Herdlick

Set your sights on something you want, find something related to that, and keep working on it until you are able to reach your dream.

Fourteen-year-old Landon Myers was told his entire life he would struggle. He would begin receiving therapy and intervention services before age two. He would spend more time in therapy than out with friends. They also said he wouldn’t read due to his severe dyslexia.

With the perseverance and support from mom, Veronica, and dad, Jacob, 8th grader Landon wouldn’t accept anything less than reaching his dreams. So, he put in the hard work to get there.

LANDON’S TRIALS BEGIN

Despite being told he likely wouldn’t read, Landon worked hard, determined to gain those skills. He kept at it over and over again until he learned the skills to do so!

“Look at me! They said I would never read, and look at me now,” Landon says.

His trials don’t stop with overcoming his dyslexia. Outside of his regular schedule and appointments, Landon also has a full schedule packed with regular therapy to help support him as he grows older:

“He goes to occupational therapy weekly to help with his sensory regulation and physical therapy weekly to help with issues he has with his ankles and feet... Due to sensory issues as a young child, he has always walked on his tiptoes,” says mom, Veronica. “After a while, this took its toll on his body. He has been in physical therapy since he was 2 years old. At one point, his muscles and tendons were so tight in his legs and ankles that he couldn’t stand for more than a few moments without being in pain. This was extremely difficult because he has always been a very active kid!”

NO ONE CAN STOP LANDON ONCE HE GETS GOING!

You would think that with all of the trials Landon faces everyday, he couldn’t possibly add more to his schedule… Think again! Landon has a variety of extracurriculars he pursues that keep him a very busy guy:

• He attends piano lessons weekly. He has been playing piano for 7 years with the last 4 years participating in Akron Children’s Piano-a-thon to raise money for music therapy for children. He’s even dabbled in writing some of his own songs with the help of his piano teacher Courtney H!

• He’s been in Taekwondo since 2016; However, because of severe restrictions in his achilles tendon and multiple procedures, he hasn’t been able to attend since 2020. Landon is a brown-tip at Asian Sun in Green! This means he only has four more steps before he can test as a black belt. His feet and ankles are doing better, so he hopes to start going back soon!

• He’s been playing on Canton Challenger Baseball since 2015. He plays on the Giants and earned the nick-name, “Big-Bang”, due to his power behind the bat!

LANDON’S MESSAGE TO OTHERS TACKLING THEIR OWN OBSTACLES

Though Landon hates the spotlight, he carries a message important for anyone who’s going through their own obstacles right now:

“I wouldn’t be able to do the things I enjoy if I didn’t work for them!”

He also believes the world could use a lot more good in it. We need more stories of inspiration, more dream-chasing, and more acts of kindness. While he lives his life in reflection of these goals, you can, too! Just set your sights on something you want, find something related to it, and keep working on it until you reach your dream.

• He volunteers with a ministry called, “Love Is A Verb”. He wakes up early every other Sunday to feed a homeless population breakfast outside of a shelter. Landon believes in community and doing what he can to help!

• He also loves games! Video games, card games (like YuGi-Oh!, Pokemon, and Digimon), and playing chess with his dad, Jacob.

“A diagnosis is not the end of the world. Focus on the child you have and not what other people say they can’t do. Let them try the hard stuff because you never know what they’ll excel at!” says Jacob Myers.

LANDON’S NEWEST FIXATION: DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

Landon has a tendency to get fixated on a new topic and spend as much time as possible learning everything about it! His newest fixation: playing Dungeons and Dragons.

“His latest obsession has been learning all about Dungeons and Dragons. Learning on our own was difficult, so I reached out to a friend, John M., who has been playing for a long time,” says Veronica. “He was able to walk us through how to create a character and what each of the dice is for, as well as how to actually understand the rules! It has been an amazing learning experience and has given us a way to bond and connect with each other. Because Landon doesn’t have a lot of friends who play DnD, I started learning with him. It’s pretty amazing the skills he’s picking up on, without realizing, because he’s having fun. He is learning a lot of social skills through roleplaying, brushing up on his math skills through stats and dice rolls for his characters and actions, and is reading incredibly challenging words in the books to continue learning and creating the best character he can come up with. Landon has always been very creative and this gives him a way to channel some of that into creating backstories for characters and coming up with his own adventures and campaigns!”