“6 years of coaching, teaching, and planning went down the drain. When the world goes back to normal, we get to start all over again.”
‘All the progress he made is gone. We’re back to square one.’: Mom to son with nonverbal autism discusses impact of COVID-19
‘He’s been born, and YOU were chosen!’ Only 4 pounds, I was scared to even TOUCH him.’: Couple adopt baby with Down syndrome after scare, ‘We were meant for this’
“We were told, ‘You’re crazy.’ In an instant, I knew we had to pursue him. I didn’t know joy and sorrow could coexist.”
‘Do you have any concerns?’ The mood shifted. I half-expected her to say, ‘I’m concerned he’s too good looking!’ The punchline never came.’: Mom gives birth to baby with Down syndrome
“She took him into her arms. ‘It’s not an ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s just different.’ I loved him, but I was scared. She helped us see he was the same beautiful baby we were elated with mere minutes before.”
‘The doctor gently told us, ‘His case is not mild. At the very least, he’s on the severe end.’ Everyone focuses on what he CAN’T do, but we focus on what he CAN do.’: Mom recounts son’s diagnosis journey with autism, ‘You’ll move mountains’
“The signs were all there. Everything. I knew it was time. How did I not know sooner? I’m his mom, shouldn’t I just automatically know these things? We are NOT going to give up on you.”
‘Chance of defects, chance of blindness, deafness, death.’ There was so. Much. Blood. I couldn’t feel a single thing. He was STUCK.’: Mom recounts traumatic labor, son’s ‘unique health issues’
“You don’t necessarily notice the impact early on, even if you start to recognize things just aren’t ‘right.’ You see differences at the park, watching other kids interact. Your friends’ kids start walking, then talking, and you start to notice delays. You question what you did wrong and what you could have done differently.”
‘This is a mistake! She CAN’T be mine.’ I turned everyone away from the hospital. I thought I ruined our lives.’: Special needs mom details Down syndrome journey
“My vision of perfection vanished and I felt disconnected. It was painful to say the words. But it had been her all along.”
‘Her cries sounded painful. ‘Did she nap today? Do you think she’s hungry?’ But I knew it wasn’t that.’: Mom navigates daughter’s autism diagnosis, ‘I’m so proud to be her mama’
“She’d fling her head back every night. Her behaviors became violent. I suspected something greater was going on, but I sold myself the idea she’d catch up in her own time. The wait and see remained.”
‘No one will want a divorced, single mom of 3.’ I thought it was the end of me. He showed up day after day for my broken family.’: Mom shares powerful love story, ‘It was just the beginning’
“The woman my ex-husband had an affair with was engaged. That man showed up for us with groceries, moving boxes, ice cream. And he showed up with his very own broken heart. So I did what any reasonable girl would have done. I fell in love with him.”
‘We got THE CALL. Without a second thought, I said, ‘Yes! A thousand times yes!’ I knew she was meant to be ours.’: Mom of 5 adopts baby with rare case of dwarfism, ‘She has no limits’
“Her legs seemed so weak. ‘They don’t make walkers her size.’ She pulled herself up. Within days, she was taking steps. She’s shown me to not put any limits on her.”
‘His teacher handed me a whiteboard covered in symbols. ‘He’s writing in Japanese.’ We were mind-blown.’: Mom describes son’s autism journey, ‘He’s different, not less’
“Our 2-year-old, who was unable to communicate his needs, began to read anything we wrote. Words, names, sentences. It was truly amazing!”
