PCB boy perseveres through speech and motor difficulties

SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A boy from Panama City Beach continues to amaze his family, therapists, and peers every day.

First-grader Will Whitworth is making a huge transformation in his ability to speak to others.

He has gone to Ascension Sacred Heart Pediatric Rehabilitation at Santa Rosa Beach for the past four years.

Will sees a speech, occupational, and physical therapist there twice a week.

“The best part about working with Will is every time he comes back to see me, it’s like a new day,” Speech Therapist Samantha Arvin said. “When I first started with him, it was very hard to understand him. We kind of just worked on a lot of language skills, too.”

Will’s mom Amanda Whitworth said he’s grown in all aspects of his life.

“When Will first started coming here, I think I was the only person who could understand what he was saying,” Whitworth said. “I had a whole list that’d explain, well, this is what that means. He’s just come so far. We’re beyond grateful. We really are.”

However, the road hasn’t always been smooth.

“A lot of people might not think it is, but it’s a lot of very, very hard work,” Arvin said.

Whitworth said the realization to seek speech therapy for her son came from a teacher on a playground.

“At that time, I was thinking, OK, it is hard to understand what he’s saying,” she said. “Everyone would look at me and say, wait, what?”

She said parents shouldn’t take it personally if they find themselves in the same situation.

“If we shift it a little more to, what is their potential, and getting them the right support, then it’s really like having your own private tutor,” Whitworth said.

Will was also named the 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Ambassador for Studer Family Children’s Hospital.

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