@santosha
Hi Chris. Thank you so much for your kind words. You are more than generous with your praise. I can definitely say the same for you.
I will say, I'm not so sure the doctors would agree with you. 🙂
Well, I tried to post earlier and there was a glitch, so I'll give it another try.
A friend sent me "Welcome to Holland" when Keegan was a baby. It was very inspiring and taught me to look at the beauty of my changed life. I never expected to have a special needs child but I am so grateful I do.
First, and foremost, my faith in the Lord carried me through some very dark times. God gave me Keegan and entrusted me to be his mom and advocate. Out of all the other moms, God chose me. Keegan is such a blessing and I refused to fail. I made a promise to God that I would do everything in my power to be worthy of Keegan and to be the best advocate for Keegan, since he couldn't advocate for himself. I am very blessed to have three beautiful sons that God entrusted me with. My family, husband, and friends are a huge support. They are always on my side and will "fight the good fight" with me. In times of darkness or struggle, they are always standing in the trenches, with me.
Early on, when Keegan was a baby, I found a support group through "Raising Special Kids". They are wonderful. Very much like this board except they pick up the phone. They will talk with you and help in any way they can. They are great for guiding new families with a special needs child and providing resources for free. I definitely leaned on them a lot in the beginning. I also relied on several autism support groups, more than I could list here. I was blessed enough to be able to take the first 4 years of Keegan's life off. I was there for every doctor appointment and every therapy session. I learned a lot during those therapy sessions and appointments. That time created a bond that will never be broken.
When Keegan started preschool, I went back to work (part-time) However, I changed careers. I went from being a medical assistant to working with families with special needs kiddos. I met so many amazing families and I learned a lot about how the state benefits worked. I was able to advocate effectively for Keegan because of this. There were many other resources that I relied on and still do. This board has been amazing. I was very blessed and grateful to meet you, @jakedduck1 , and so many others when we received the diagnosis of epilepsy. Having a support system in place is so important. To know you are not alone.
I remember when Keegan was in the hospital for a reaction to an AED. You were there for me when I was overwhelmed and exhausted. When things seemed so dark and scary. I'll never forget what you said. You told me to "put on my oxygen mask first or I wouldn't be any good for anybody". You gave me the ok to take a breath. To not feel guilty if I needed a minute to myself. To pause and reflect on all the good things and not just focus on the bad. Your kindness, strength, positivity have been a constant in my life since we met. I am grateful to call you friend. Sending love and hugs, as always. 🙂
Kerry