by Sunette Payne, as told to Iliana Clift Elliot was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), which means that the left side of his heart, the side that receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it out to the body, was severely underdeveloped. In addition to this very severe heart defect, he also…
as told to Iliana Clift Years ago I hung a quote by the Roman orator Cicero on Marcus’s bulletin board that said, “The greater the difficulty…the greater the glory.” This quote describes our journey with Marcus quite well. When we first started the NACD program, he hardly had any speech at all. He was extremely…
by Carol Johnson, as told to Iliana Clift When I last wrote about Justin, he was thirteen and going into seventh grade in middle school. (*See link below.) He still mostly used a wheelchair, required a one-on-one aide at school, his vision was quite limited, and unless I used a huge marker board to help…
by Janine Little, as told to Iliana Clift It breaks my heart to say it, but before we started the NACD program Luke was like a wild animal. He dashed here and there, climbed on tables and cabinets, jumped off and started all over again. He rocked precariously on the seat and back of a…
Kaitlyn was eleven years old when she stumbled upon a book I was reading. She brought it to me and, as if she had just discovered a brand new planet, she exclaimed with a sparkle in her voice, “Mom, these kids are like me!” My heart skipped a beat— she was obviously ready to learn…
As told to Iliana Clift by Joshua’s Mom When Joshua was five and the time that he should start kindergarten was fast approaching, I agonized over placing him in a formal school setting. He was very active and did not like to sit still. He would not sit down to eat, but preferred to stand…
by Sue McFerren, as told to Iliana Clift I knew the risks of having a child in my 40s, and I intended to love and care for every child God blessed us with, no matter what. Still, when Sonya was born with Down syndrome I was stunned. Recognizing that having a special needs child in…
by Natani Jones, as told to Iliana Clift Now what? After a month in ICU and three months in a rehab facility, my son was finally home. Not having another option, my husband, riddled with guilt, went to work; I stayed home to care for Trevor—all alone, young, and inexperienced. I longed for my own…
by Mary Beth Franzen Here we go again. One would think I would be used to this by now, but I guess I’m not. The current “career consultant” for my daughter, Rebecca, isn’t going to work out. Time to go back up the chain of command and re-think this process…again. More red tape, more time…
by Jeannie Cummings When Michael and Mark were born 3 1/2 months prematurely, no one expected they would live through the day*. But they were fighters, and despite several setbacks they came home from the hospital at 3 months old, which was 3 weeks before their due date. Yet, I soon began noticing developmental delays;…