‘Overcoming and accomplishing’

Like any 7-year-old, Owen Chicos has a long list of things he likes and things he wants to do.

A member of the fifth generation living on his family’s century farm, he figures he’d like to grow up to be a farmer. In keeping with that, he loves to be beside his dad in the combine and on other equipment. He even knows how to raise and lower the bucket on the farm’s backhoe.

Like a true Minnesotan, he loves both fishing and swimming. He takes particular pride in having recently overcome a former fear of being completely immersed in water. “You used to be afraid of that,” his father David jokes. “But now you really like it.”

Owen and his 4-year-old brother Landon live with their parents David and Nikki southeast of Matawan in an area his extended family lightheartedly dubs “Chicosville,” with numerous relatives of various generations living within a couple miles. 

“We’re just like any other family,” says David. “We work together, we play together.” Their farm grows corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. Perhaps because Owen recently joined 4-H, perhaps because it’s just what farm families do, Owen and Landon are the “owners” and caretakers of four head of beef cattle: Owen’s are “Sprinkles” and “Hot Fudge.” Landon’s are “Cheetoh” and “Jackson.”

And perhaps what the family treasures most about all these small rural-lifestyle details is how delightfully normal they are. Because “normal” is not the way the story started.

During Nikki’s pregnancy with Owen, ultrasounds and tests indicated the baby was experiencing hydrocephalus–an excessive amount of fluid building up inside his skull and interfering with the development of his nervous system. It was a life-threatening condition. On-going testing and treatments were needed to monitor the baby’s progress and see what could be done.

Nikki recalls one doctor whom she believes had good intentions, but who told her and David that, if the baby survived, he would likely never walk, talk, eat on his own, or have any semblance of a normal lifestyle.

“We were bracing ourselves for that,” she recalls. “But that’s not how it turned out.”

Despite needing a dozen surgeries before the age of 2, “Owen is the definition of resilience,” Nikki observes. “He is always overcoming and accomplishing.

“We’re grateful for that.”

“Owen has taught us not to give up, to keep going,” says David. “Not to take things for granted.”

Since Owen cannot yet walk on his own, Nikki and David recall being nervous about what he would encounter when he began attending preschool at age 4.

“The community has been amazing in the way they’ve accepted and included him,” Nikki observes. 

When they are out mingling in public, the two parents joke they don’t really need to use their names–their identities are simply “Owen’s mom” and “Owen’s dad.”

“He’s got this likeability about him,” says David. “Everybody greets him and asks how he’s doing.”

As Owen continues to mature, Nikki and David are happy to take his development milestones “on Owen’s time,” in other words, when he is ready for them.

To encourage him to build his coordination and stamina, they have told Owen that, when he’s progressed to a sufficient point, he can get a golden doodle puppy to be his own service dog. Having taken a particular shine to a golden doodle owned by a relative, Owen is working toward the day when his dog–destined to be named “Daisy”--can be his special companion.

Owen and his family enjoy outings of many different kinds. Museums, particularly children’s museums, are well liked. Swimming pools are a definite favorite, as is the pleasure of lounging in a hot tub–Owen figures the family should install one in their garage. Rodeos are another top choice–particularly bull riding. Owen has a cordless microphone which connects to his iPad; he can give an impressive imitation of a rodeo announcer introducing rider and bull as they enter the ring. Sometimes Landon is the rider, David is the bull, and Nikki stands in for a crowd of spectators.

The family tells of an upcoming trip to a nationally known rodeo. Owen chose the hotel based on–perhaps predictably–the swim park and hot tub.

In warmer weather, the family enjoys being outside and going to playgrounds. They have visited two “accessible” parks in the area, and are grateful for the dedication NRHEG school staff and the community have shown toward raising funds to install a similar playground on the grounds at the Ellendale elementary school, which Owen attends.

They mention opportunities physical education teachers Wendy Schultz and Beth Schoenrock have created to help Owen build stamina and mobility. “They send him on errands,” says David lightly, explaining Owen often accompanies them as they take care of tasks throughout the building. One of Owen’s favorite spaces, they mention, is a science classroom which has glow-in-the-dark stars and planets on its ceiling.

“We take each day as it comes,” observes David. “Every family has its challenges, so we’re no different from everybody else.”

“You learn systems to deal with things,” says Nikki. “We just keep moving forward and taking joy in the little things.”