Her voice was giddy with excitement. You could almost hear her smile through the phone. Glencoe, Alabama’s Jana Massenburg could hardly contain herself as she shared the kind of news parents wait their whole lives to hear.

“He can read!” Jana squealed. “My son Aaron can read!”

For Jana and her husband Kenneth, those words mean more than grades on a report card or milestones on a school calendar. They represent years of persistence, patience, and hope for their 15-year-old son, Aaron.

Aaron has Down syndrome. He loves his school, Glencoe Middle, and has always been a bright spirit in the classroom. His favorite subjects used to be PE and lunch, Jana joked, but today, his favorite subject is reading — a sentence she once wondered if she’d ever be able to say.

The breakthrough came after Aaron was enrolled last November in Alabama Pediatric Services. There, alongside his supportive teachers at school, something finally clicked. The words began to flow, the stories began to unfold, and for the first time, Aaron was no longer on the outside of the reading circle looking in. He has now read 20 books.

For his family, the moment he looked up and said, “I can read, mom and dad!” will never be forgotten.

Jana describes it as though Aaron had been living “in a little bit of a box.” He had always done well in school, but reading had been the locked door, the obstacle that seemed insurmountable. With the right support, the right encouragement, and his own determination, Aaron has found the key.

Now, the family is looking toward the future. Aaron dreams of enrolling in Auburn’s Eagles Program, a post-secondary opportunity for students with intellectual disabilities. To be accepted, he will need to reach a third-grade level in reading and writing. Right now, Aaron is at a second-grade level. There is work to do, but time is on his side.

“We have from now until he graduates to get his reading level up,” Jana said, her voice filled with determination. For her, this is not just a goal for Aaron, but a mission for their whole family.

And Aaron? He’s not afraid of the challenge. He’s already proven that his spirit is stronger than any limitation. Each page turned is another victory, each sentence read another step toward a bigger dream.

Stories like Aaron’s remind us that breakthroughs don’t always happen in classrooms filled with applause or at ceremonies where achievements are celebrated publicly. Sometimes they happen in the quiet moments, when a child smiles up at his parents and speaks words they’ve been praying to hear.

“I can read.”

Three small words, but for Aaron Massenburg and his family, they carry the weight of a lifetime. They are words that signal not just progress in academics, but growth in confidence, independence, and opportunity.

The sky is the limit now. Aaron has proven that with love, persistence, and the right support, possibilities expand. His story is still being written — quite literally — one book, one chapter, one milestone at a time.

And for Kenneth and Jana, those three words will forever echo as one of the greatest moments of parenthood.

“I can read.”

That is Aaron’s triumph. And it is just the beginning.