I'm breaking a promise here in that I said all of my posts would be about Autism and how it affects Brycen and our family...but I feel this story is so important for many people to hear and read about as it affects a sweet, little boy and a fabulous and positive family!
Mitchell lives locally and has been battling an auto-immune deficiency disorder for years now. It's been ups and downs for this family since he was born and they are now finally in line for that long-awaited bone marrow transplant scheduled for the end of this month in Cinncinnati.
I am attaching the link to his Caring Bridge website (with permission from his mom, Kelly, of course). When I am having a rough day with Brycen, just reading one blog entry from Kelly on this site really puts into perspective how easy my life really is. I know many of you are also going to feel this way. I can't imagine being able to keep a decently clean and semi-germ-free home with two little ones, much less be so on top of things as Kelly has needed to be for years now, protecting Mitchell from anything and everything that could make him seriously ill.
Mitchell has had more hospitalizations, pokes and prods, etc than most of us will ever see in our life-time...and he's only FIVE!
Anyway, when life is getting rough for you with your day-to-day job, keeping a household running, paying the bills, shuttling the kids to and from school and other activities, try to put yourself in this family's shoes....I bet it only takes you two seconds to realize how precious life is, how strong a parent's love is for their child, and the sacrifices that are necessary to ensure your child(ren) are taken care of and healthy as possible.
I've said it many times before and will say it again...I do not know how parents like Kelly do this! I am grateful that Brycen is overall healthy and we have not had to endure days, weeks, and months of hospitals, needles, and medicines all to prevent a simple cold germ from making our child seriously ill.
Kelly is not the type of person that wants people to feel sorry for them...she is a mother of a special needs child like so many others that just wants people to understand they are fighting a battle right now and their every-day life is very different than the majority of others.
Please keep this family in your thoughts over the next several months as Mitchell is prepped for the transplant, receives the transplant, and is recovering as his body accepts the new cells and they begin fighting the battle for him. Also, please keep the anonymous donor in your thoughts as it takes a very special person to want to donate bone marrow to someone they don't even know!
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mitchellhewitt
"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
Monday, August 2, 2010
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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.
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.
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