Caroline has the heart of fighter. She works hard, damn hard, to do things that come naturally to most people. Caroline is happy and content despite being medically involved and all that comes with that--pain, sickness, medical procedures, and in her case, severe developmental delays. I have learned so much about life by caring for Caroline. But it is from how Caroline lives her life that I have learned many secrets of life. She has taught me to preserve--she is my tortoise; she has taught me that a smile and a good sense of humor goes a long way; and finally she has taught me the "why" doesn't matter nearly as much as the "now what".
It is with these lessons in mind that I will continue to fight and advocate for my daughter. I have such confidence in her ability to set this world on fire because the obstacles that she is overcoming today are ingraining the qualities that will propel her to future successes: hard work, perseverance, good humor, humility, and spirit.
I will never underestimate my daughter nor will I allow anyone else to do so.
You, your children and your husband are clearly amazing. Just a question, do you have an educational advocate to support your efforts for Caroline's access to related services in school? Also, do you have medicaid for her? She may be eligible for Medicaid under a special provision called "katie beckett" (although I don't know what its called in TX) that allows children with special needs to become eligible for Medicaid, which pays for ABA services (that's a medicaid approved intervention!!) And other services that meet medical necessity. Ok, well take care, I enjoyed reading your blog; allows me to see other dimensions of your awesomeness. .
ReplyDeleteWith love, Alondra Jones
Alondra!!! Thank you so much for the kind words and for all the great suggestions. In Texas, the state does not cover ABA :(. We are still working on getting Caroline medicaid. Send me a private message so we can catch-up!
ReplyDelete