Caregiving, Challenges, Down Syndrome, Special Needs Parenting
Evana Sandusky
For When You Don’t Feel Thankful

My daughter arrived in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the middle of the night on the eve of Thanksgiving. A tough respiratory virus attacked her lungs, and she needed a substantial amount of oxygen support. And now, this unexpected illness meant Thanksgiving was going to be completely different than we had all planned.

For When You Don’t Feel Thankful
Challenges, Hope, Scripture, Special Needs Parenting
Kara Dedert
When Thankfulness Seems Impossible

Are you scrounging for thankfulness this holiday season? Holidays can be a challenge for those walking through hard days. Perhaps you feel like you've been handed the short-end of the stick; your child is struggling, you’re exhausted and it seems like everybody else has life with a bit more gravy. It’s easy to focus on our circumstances, take stock of what we have and where we are and end up feeling completely void of thankfulness. Is there a cure for this? 

When Thankfulness Seems Impossible
Autism, Caregiving, Challenges, Hope, Special Needs Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Sunita Theiss
Discovering What God Already Knew About Me, ...

I first suspected I had ADHD as a teenager, but finding the right professional to take me seriously was much harder than I expected. Previous attempts only ended in frustration and tears.

Discovering What God Already Knew About Me, Through My Children’s Diagnosis
Caregiving, Challenges, Living Life Daily
Jolene Philo
Enjoying the Holidays with a Food Allergy

Enjoying the holidays with a food allergy sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? After all, eating together is an integral component of the holiday season. I looked forward to making our traditional holiday foods until I was diagnosed with a dairy allergy in 2012. What was to enjoy about the holidays when the foods associated with it were off limits to me?

Enjoying the Holidays with a Food Allergy
Caregiving, Challenges, Grief, Hope, Special Needs Parenting
John Fela (Felageller)
A New Home

It was a short, ten-minute drive from the hotel to the residential facility. I maintained composure while I navigated the busy public roads, and then residential streets. I had a whole range of emotions racing through my body, mind and spirit as we pulled into the campus. This was not just a pleasure drive or a routine errand, this was a significant milestone in the life of my son and our family.

A New Home

non-verbal

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Are You Viewing Your Child from the Right Perspective?

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Are You Viewing Your Child from the Right Perspective?

Sometimes we get caught up in the realities of caregiving for our children, and if we are not careful, we can only see the temporary and miss the eternal.

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Would Someone Be Friends With My Autistic Boy?

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Would Someone Be Friends With My Autistic Boy?

Every parent wants their child to have friends: good friends that like them and care for them, friends that they can trust and build healthy relationships with. But what about when our child is disabled, different or diverse?

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Ten Reasons Why "As Long as the Baby is Healthy" Isn't Most Important

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Ten Reasons Why "As Long as the Baby is Healthy" Isn't Most Important

Pregnancy goes hand in hand with this common saying. However, after having a child with special needs, we changed our response. Here’s what we’ve learned why that common saying isn’t most important thing in pregnancy.

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Searching for The Sweet Spot in the Caregiving Dance

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Searching for The Sweet Spot in the Caregiving Dance

As caregivers, we’re looking for that sweet spot in the dance of life where the team and the individual are both given space and respect. It’s a place where the nuances of movement between the two and as one are honored. It’s a place where an intimate knowing and connection is made.

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Weak Made Strong In The Savior's Love

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Weak Made Strong In The Savior's Love

I thought a lot about Jack, whether he had gained anything at all from his time at Spring Harvest, whether he had been impacted by any of the spiritual program in his sessions. Had he just been child-minded, busying himself with his Jenga wooden blocks, or had something more than that reached him? A few weeks later, I got the answer to my questions.