Advocacy
May 9, 2017
So I left off with Adam and I becoming a couple. He came into my life at just the right time. I had a new found love and respect for myself and I believe that is what drew him to me (plus my flirting wearing a low cut sweater might have helped a little). We were engaged after four months of being together though we didn’t actually get married until two years later in 1995. Shortly after we got married we started to try for a family. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) so becoming pregnant is not easy. We eventually got in to a fertility specialist and even had an emergency round of InVitro fertilization (IVF) before we decided […]
May 22, 2017
Months ago my youngest, Jeremy, read a book called Beyond Ok by Susan Schenk. It resonated with him and he was eager to discuss with his tutor about his own learning and what works best for him. We had been trying for years to explain learning disabilities and how they affect him. We tried to determine what strategies would work best for him but he remained silent and reluctant to discuss it. We were at a loss. Then along came the book and he just opened up. I read it too and we had some good discussions about it. He was doing a book talk on her book so he reached out to Susan on Facebook and she was kind […]
August 4, 2017
Just recently my oldest son was injured playing soccer and required hospitalization. He injured himself playing on the Special Stars team for individuals with Autism. I only tell you this as it plays a key part in the story. Otherwise it wouldn’t matter what type of league it was. But for this story it does matter. When the ambulance attendants came (after almost 2 hours – totally a different story) they asked about medications and medical conditions. I told them all his medications and that he has Autism, Intellectual disability and Bipolar disorder. He has more but these seemed key to the circumstances. Even as I said Intellectual disability I felt guilty – I hate the term, it used to […]
September 3, 2017
Imagine you have a job that requires you to do increasingly harder tasks each day that you go there. Let’s say you are working a desk job but every day you are expected to do 50 sit ups. You haven’t done a sit up in years and you have a bad back from a previous injury. But everyone is required to do it so you give it a try and you maybe get in 2 or 3 before you give up. Your boss critiques your performance and gives you a Level 1 – the worst level there is. He also decides that because you can’t do sit ups you probably can’t do a lot of other activities the job entails. […]
April 2, 2018
When I look at my son, when I watch him when he doesn’t know I am watching I see friendly kind thoughtful sensitive inquisitive smart outgoing creative talkative agile For all these reasons and so many more Take the time to get to know my son, who will always be my boy even though he is a man. Do yourself a favour and speak to him a while . . . it will change your life like it has mine. The fact that he has Autism, Bipolar Disorder or an Intellectual Disability does not define him. Diagnosis do not define him – these qualities listed here and many more – those help define him. Take the time to get to know my son for […]
May 11, 2018
The last few years I have been on a path of self-reflection and discovery. Many hours in therapy, in silent contemplation, in writing, in conversing with family, friends and co-workers. One of the things I have grappled with is my health – over the years I truly let myself go and often cancelled doctor and dentist appointments over and over. Case in point: after focusing on overall mental and physical well being all week at work I decided it was time to finally make my 3 month follow up diabetes wellness appointment with my doctor. I keep cancelling it because I say I am busy but really it is because I don’t want to do the blood test because I […]