[Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Casey and Rob Foreaker’s 16-year-old son, Dalton, is medically complex, but somehow that wasn’t the complicated part.

Emergency room visits related to his brand of inflammatory bowel disease, known as Crohn’s disease, were riddled with emotional landmines for Dalton, who is also autistic.

An unfamiliar TV commercial might trigger him to punch the screen. The behavior of other children could cause him to melt down, as might the mention of Halloween.

The list of his triggers is so lengthy, and encompasses so many topics or behaviors that others wouldn’t think to avoid, the Foreakers did everything in their power to dodge in-person medical scenarios with their son, for fear that his reactions would turn destructive or violent.

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