Houston preemie one of first to try imaging hat for awake babies with brain disorders

Excerpted from a May 27 2020 publication by The Houston Chronicle

Aisha Atkinson was purposeful when choosing the name for her child, Aries Reign Williams.

It had to be strong, resilient and persistent. It also needed to start with the letter “A,” to match his parents’ first names. His middle name, Reign, was chosen to symbolize regality and wisdom.

“Ironically, this kid just embodies it without us even really having to teach him,” said Atkinson, 31. “That name holds so much more meaning over his personality and the way his life will turn out.”

Aries is not a typical 2-year-old. His brain works differently since he was born 17 weeks early, at 23 weeks gestation, weighing only 1 pound, 11 ounces.

During birth, he suffered Grade III and IV-level brain bleeds, the most severe for a premature baby. Those led to a ventricle swelling in his brain and the development of the neurological disease hydrocephalus, and eventually, cerebral palsy in both legs and his left arm.