Author Archives: Janis

Sending up an S.O.S.

So often we are focused on our own children and their struggles that we forget about the struggles of others. Guilty. And most often, we forget about keeping our own lives balanced. I came across this video by one of my favorite motivational speakers, Renee Bondi, and I wanted to share it. Here is a…

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We are not alone.

As I was sitting on the floor next to the crib on the eve of Mother’s Day, watching my son struggle to breathe, I wondered how many millions of moms had been in that very spot before me. With me.

In how many homes, hospital and bedrooms were we watching over our sick kids?

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Who do you trust to care for your child?

As it is, it’s difficult to leave my son with “just anyone” because his tracheostomy and g-tube care require training. But what happens when the person trained cannot be trusted? I would like to believe that because someone is licensed, trained and “seems” like a good fit that they can be trusted with my child’s life. I would like to believe that the nursing agency has hired and screened candidates thoroughly.

Last week I found out the hard way that that is just not always true.

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Learning to tackle challenging situations

Last summer I called a few tumbling/gym type places to see if Austin would “possibly” be able to go to learn how to safely tumble. I called them because, I have to admit that occasionally I am guilty of not challenging Austin enough in certain situations. There are some things that scary the beejeebees out…

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Do Unto Others

While I was fortunate enough to have people seek me out and offer me a helping hand; there is no shame in seeking out help for yourself or your family. Organizations looking to help Special Needs families are out there, you just have to look for them. I have found a handful of resources that you might be interested in checking out for yourself or someone you know that may be in need.

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The Secret Language of Special Needs

Recently it became obvious to me that special needs parents often speak to each other in code. I suppose it has always been around and is often used in medical support forums where everyone is speaking the same lingo. You know it. It’s the shorthand: Neuro, Pulmo, CHD, Mito, OT, PT & CI, just to…

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Ready to Fight

I was informed last week that my son’s Insurance authorized his Speech Therapy. Good. But they decided to cut his current sessions in half. Bad. ROAR!! Several people tried to convince me that this was actually a good thing. They were happy that he was given “twice the amount than they usually approve,” so to…

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