My Nonprofit Reviews

Becoming a parent is one of life's greatest joys, and greatest challenges. Preparing for my son was filled with baby showers, tea parties, pre-natal classes, and doctors visits. All expecting parents welcome and embrace these rights passage as our little ones enter our lives. Many of us deliver the common phrase, "we don't mind if its a boy or a girl, just as long as it is healthy." But what happens when your child is born with special needs? We brought our son home from the hospital expecting the visits to the doctor to last only a few more moths, but instead, the visits increased. Our quest for the perfect basinet became a quest to find a doctor who could give us answers to help our child, and who would accept our health insurance. Many friends and family who threw our baby shower to show their support, no longer accepted play dates with our child. The schools we spent months researching were no longer a place of learning. They became the pit of the NYSE trading floor, barganing IEP accaccomodations for for testing modifications. A sense of accomplishment was held in a paper document which may not receive implementation, rather than a gold star for what we saw as strides in our child's progress. He still wouldn't make the grade. While many parents and teachers offered a listening ear, the daunting task of explaining our childs diagnosis became overwhelming, and we simply stopped talking or trying to connect. Although this time in our lives felt isolating, we were not alone. We were amongst all parents, special needs or typically developing, who put on the brave face and confidence necessary to blend in with the other parents. Once we began honest conversations with other parents, we found out we were not alone. We were not the only special needs parents, nor were we the only parents facing challenges with a diagnosis, medical insurance, or helping to educate our schools. Angels in Need and Lake Norman Exceptional Moms gave us a place to talk about the challenges we were facing, and find the humor in our child's every day challenges. We found a community of encouragement and empowerment through scholarships and programing apprpriate to our child's needs. A place our child would be loved and accepted for their strengths rather than defined by their disabilities. Together we are able to celebrate each step in our child's development knowing we will have a friend to guide us through each challenge, and celebrate each joy with our child.

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