"When one door of happiness closes, another opens;
but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
Helen Keller

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Team Brycen 2010


Sunny, warm day...fabulous family & friends...hundreds of people there for one cause...knowing your child is attending a community event where not a single person will judge him or anyone else...all the various colored shirts, ages of walkers, all demonstrating each of these children are unique and affected in different ways...knowing that we are not and never will be alone fighting this...

This summarizes one of the most special days in our lives...along with our wedding day and the day that each of our children were born!


We had been wondering how Brycen would handle such a large event with so many people and the loud music...he demonstrated to us with the right understanding of how he is feeling, he can fight those feelings of being overwhelmed...Mike, Mallory, and myself took turns holding him and we were amazed at how this kept him so calm. One picture above was of him holding tight to Mallory, and the other below is of him cuddling close to Daddy (taken by Uncle John). Thank you to everybody that was there and understood how he was feeling and just let him work through it! One thing we have learned is to adapt to how he is able to handle the stress and today was a day he chose to stay calm. Deep down I really think he knew all of these people were there for him and that was what helped him to handle his stress in a good way.

Our fundraising as of today totals $3565...we started with a goal of $2000 for our first year...we not only exceeded that goal, but we almost doubled it!!! Donations were made by not only our family and close friends, but from co-workers from current jobs, old high school and college classmates, friends & family of the other walkers on the team, co-workers from previous jobs...all amazing people that found it in their heart to donate to a wonderful cause affecting so many families in Iowa, the country, and across the world. "Thank you" just doesn't seem like enough to express our gratitude to all of you! We will continue to have a Team Brycen every single year, so your continued donations or dedication to walk every year WILL make a difference...THANK YOU!

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Autism and Our Family

"Autism"----It's one word that can change the life of a child and family in so many ways. Autism Spectrum Disorders are being diagnosed at a rate of 1 in 68 children currently. If you do not already know someone that has been diagnosed, the statistics say it won't be long before you do.

Our son developed typically until around the time he turned 2 years old. We heard words...we saw him play with other kids...we watched as he played with his toys appropriately...we made eye contact with him...overall we understood his wants and needs. In a matter of a few months, that was all taken away from him. He began lining up toys, lost all of his words and signs except for one word "ball", ignored other kids, could not sleep through the night, lost eye contact and the ability to follow directions, and he had no way of letting us know what he wanted or how he felt. It was heartbreaking to see something happening to our child that we couldn't stop!

Brycen began receiving home therapy 1-2 times per month for about 6 months before we realized it wasn't just developmental delays. We knew it was Autism...we just didn't want to say it outloud to anyone. He was officially diagnosed with Autism (classic form and regressive), as well as Mental Retardation in August 2009 by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

We continue to learn as we make our way through this journey with Brycen and we will continue to share this journey with you on this blog! The blog has been a great therapy for us to be able to vent our frustrations and struggles with accepting that we have a child with special needs, while sharing how blessed we are to have a child teach us what life truly means. It has also been a great way to inform others of his progress and changes over the last couple of years.

Thank you for your support of Brycen and our family! We hope you are able to learn something through this blog no matter if you are a parent of a child with special needs or a neurotypical child, a teacher or therapist, a family member, or just someone that is interested in the journey that a family goes on as they learn their child is battling a life-long disorder.