Category: special needs

I refuse to hide anymore.

And I know it’s really hard and exhausting and at times, still very isolating (because truth be told, our kids aren’t exactly a welcome invitation for social interaction, right?)
But – we’ve been brave lately. We’ve come way out of our comfort zone with a child with profound disabilities, and we refuse to hide away in our home – even if it’s hard; even if it causes us discomfort; even if it causes others discomfort too.

We went to a school picnic last night, and we sat on the outskirts of the event because, well, Luke was pretty much “ALL DONE!” when we arrived & we ate food and a few brave souls ventured up to our table and said “hello.”

We exposed ourselves. We exposed our life. We entered into an uncomfortable situation & we did it because it’s time for the world to see families like mine. It’s time for all of us to come out of hiding because it’s time to get the resources and support we need and that only happens when people see us.

Please come out of hiding with me. The world needs our stories.
Just keep livin.

My boy is changing
Before my eyes
What once I felt
As smooth soft skin
And tender limbs
Has transformed
To rough patches
And wiry black sprouts
And the songs have been replaced
With aggression
And anger
As his behaviors flare with indecision.

The Wiggles have left the stage
Their brightly colored spectrum dissolved
And “yummy, yummy” is no more
Metallica takes the place
Of innocence
And pulsating passion ensues
And explodes upon the environment
As joints ache
And bodies moan
Beneath the weight of the exchange
And the curtain rises
To display the headliner.

And yes, it is supposed to be like this
But no, it’s not supposed be like this.
My boy thought dead before his first breath
Now erupting with exhalation.

The constant
Conundrum
of
Change.

Some –
Should not have a front row seat
To the metamorphosis
That occurs
But sometimes
Some –
Don’t get to choose.

My boy,
My beloved child
Has challenges
Beyond his control
Or mine
And he’s incognizant
of the fact
That I am
Indelibly,
A high roller
Money baller
Ticket holder
To the show
That first began
Within my womb.

Every change
Viewed up close
Center stage
While the soloist rages
Against the backdrop
of a mural
Splashed with red & yellow, black & white
They are precious in his sight
Left by those who came before
A symbol of life & love & pain.

And I whisper to the usher
“Any availability elsewhere?”
I consider sneaking away
To the nose bleed section
Where the big screen replaces
Intimate reality
And where I would no longer be privy
To the drops of sweat
Or peach fuzz
Or manic defiance.

I would move
If I could.
But I can’t.
So I continue to cheer his advances
And his wins
And his changing appearance
And his powerful masculinity.

I accept his body banging
And celebrate his flapping fingers
Swaying to the chaos
Of a private concert
For one.

I will embrace
The raging thirst
For growth
And transformation
For change equals
Life
And breath
For me
And for him.

And yes, it is supposed to be like this
And no, it’s not supposed to be like this.

This question was posed, & it made me pause.

I don’t expect support, funding or resources for my typical children so what makes my situation with Luke different?

It boils down to this –

“Society is only as healthy as its weakest link”

(Paraphrased from Maya Angelou, see quote in comments)

When we support families who have a child with intense needs we are eliminating the possibility of a few scenarios including:

The parents forfeiting their rights, & the child becomes a ward of the state which the state then pays for through foster care and/or adoption.

The caregiver’s life becomes overwhelming, & they lose hope which leads to negative ways to remedy the situation including harming themselves or their child (& then the state pays again through hospital &/or psychiatric care or worst case scenarios, funeral arrangements)

Caregivers living in unbearable situations with extreme behaviors like kicking, screaming, hitting, biting & breaking belongings which are ignored for far too long. By the time the government intervenes it’s no longer a few simple supports required but instead $500,000+ bill to pursue 24/7 residential care away from the family – often in a different state.

Numerous trips to the ER (often paid via Medicaid) with a child who exhibits extreme behaviors & sent home after a few days only for the caregivers to be left on their own with no resolution & back to square one.

Mom or dad can’t work a consistent job because there aren’t any respite opportunities, day programs, summer options, or after school care for their child & the government funds this family via unemployment, Medicaid, food stamps, etc, etc.

Doling out antidepressants (often paid by Medicaid) due to the stress of caring for a child with profound needs & zero support services.

Society WILL pay one way or another. Wouldn’t we rather have some simple supportive resources in place like respite, ABA, after school options, & day programs & support the concept of an intact, functioning, mentally healthy family unit rather than ignore the problems & pay astronomically later on & further weaken the link?

“Society is only as healthy as its weakest link”

Remember this when you look at families like mine and think “Why should society have to pay to raise your kid?”

As human beings we are at our best when we carry one another’s burdens; burdens like poverty, cancer, & families who need support.

The government provides funding for much more ridiculous things (that’s another post) so why shouldn’t it provide funding to strengthen society by supporting these families?

Just keep livin