On Tuesdays and Thursdays I take Willow to therapy. It pretty much consumes my whole day. I take my happy-go-lucky toddler, Landon, and his big sis and we just GO. We are so blessed to have the therapists that we do. Some have been with Willow since she was two. Anyway, the past few days I have been in prayer about what to do with her therapy/school schedule. Chris and I are also considering home schooling her at least part time. It would give her one-on-one instruction and more time for private therapy. I happened upon this article at Faith and Family Live. It just reminded me of how blessed we are. The article that struck me the most was Mary Ellen Barrett. She says most people view special needs kids as damaged. Mary Ellen has also had to endure the anti-life attitudes of doctors. When Ryan was diagnosed, she was pregnant with her third child. “The neurologist said to me, ‘You know this runs in families, but I guess it’s too late to do anything about that’ — he was pointing to my big belly,” said Mary Ellen. “With each subsequent pregnancy, I have been warned that the child will likely be ‘damaged.’ That’s the word they use. I think people who consider these children damaged are themselves broken.” I have endured that attitude too. We had two more children after Willow was born. Willow is doing amazing and inspires our family every day. I had a conversion experience at her bedside when she was two weeks old in the NICU of Baptist Hospital. I have come to rely on the Lord so much. I am constantly in prayer for her. The Barretts also realize what a blessing Ryan has been: “My faith has greatly deepened due to Ryan’s disability,” said Mary Ellen. I gave him to Our Lady’s care and began praying Rosaries regularly. Ryan’s abnormalities were accepted and treated as part of his uniqueness. We have grown in faith together, and the biggest blessing has been the conversion of my husband, David, to the Catholic faith. I don’t know that any of this would have happened if Ryan had been born without his disabilities.” People just don't know what they are missing. You can visit Mary Ellen's blog at: http://maryellenb.typepad.com/
2 comments:
I've been meaning to stop by Mary Ellen's blog again, thanks for the reminder. I hope that you are able to make a decision soon about Willow...it is so stressful when you are not sure which way to go. My son (age 6) has in-home ABA 6 days a week...he's basically in therapy from 8:30 am - 4:45 pm. But we are starting to look at what we want to do now that he is in elementary school and will be in 1st grade next year. So much to think about! And yes, he is a wonderful blessing... :)
For those of us that are blessed to work with Willow, we thank you for your dedication to her and the effort you put into bringing her along. May your path be made clear and peace come with your decisions.
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