Children’s Harbor gives Charlie Cleghorn the space to let his spirit soar
Six-year-old Charlie Cleghorn is sweet and kind—and “wild,” says his mother, Meleah Cleghorn. He’s “100 percent all boy,” who enjoys mud and hunting and performing wheelies and donuts in his wheelchair, often unbuckling himself so that he’ll tumble out laughing, she explains.
Charlie also loves Children’s Harbor, which provides him with an outlet for his fun-loving spirit and energy. Diagnosed with myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida, at birth, Charlie and his family learned about Children’s Harbor in 2022 when he was in the hospital for surgery. Since then, the Cleghorns, who live in Jasper, Alabama, have visited the Harbor Family Center 20 to 30 times. “Charlie demands it,” Meleah says.
When he is at the center, Charlie never misses a chance to play air hockey. Other favorite activities include making crafts and using the claw machine to score stuffed animals, most of which he gives to friends and young family members. Charlie especially enjoys seeing Carrie Cooksey, the Harbor Family Center activities coordinator and “one of Charlie’s favorite people,” Meleah says.
For the past three years, Charlie also has attended Children’s Harbor’s Camp Sunshine, a retreat for families who have children with spina bifida, at Lake Martin. There he can’t wait to get into water skis for adaptive aquatics, urging the boat to move faster the whole time, his mom says. Meleah appreciates that the camp caters to the whole family, which includes her husband, Terrance; Charlie’s four-year-old sister; and an eight-month-old baby brother.
Charlie makes friends easily, and in 2023 he quickly bonded with UAB safety Damien Miller when they were paired up for Champions for Our Children, the treasured partnership between UAB Football and Children’s Harbor. (Learn more about this exciting fall tradition on page X.) Though Damien was injured and not able to play, he had a special sweatshirt made for Charlie and ensured that Charlie’s favorite snacks were on hand when they met for the practice game. Charlie and his family remain friends with Damien today.
The Cleghorns also plan to keep coming back to the Harbor Family Center and Lake Martin retreats, where their active, playful son has found a haven. “We love the people” of Children’s Harbor, Meleah says. “Everyone is so sweet.”
