disability Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Forever In Mom Genes

Mother of the Year

May 13 2012

When Heather lost her three year old son Zack, she didn’t stop being a mom. Though her heart was broken, Zack’s brothers needed her more than ever. So she embraced them and loved them as mothers do while she made a plan to keep a promise; the one she made to Zack and to herself as they said goodbye. She vowed to keep his memory alive and to have Elmo, Zack’s comfort and joy, speak his name. And that’s just what she did. Heather tirelessly raised money to create a room (two rooms in fact!) in Zack’s name at York Central Hospital. She also persevered until Kevin Clash (the puppeteer who IS Elmo) knew how much Zackie loved him. Kevin knows and he was touched. And Elmo did speak Zack’s name. Heather is healing with her family and she continues to tell Zack’s story, not only to keep his memory alive, but to help other families deal with the pain of losing a child.” Heather and I became friends online. We bonded over our special needs kids and soon discovered we had many other things in common. When my daughter was in hospital shortly after Zack died, Heather kept tabs on[…]

Apr 14 2012

We all want our daughters to have a voice. I need my daughter to have one. I won’t always be around to speak for her – to explain to others why she may not understand, or to make her understood. Before my daughter was born, deep down I worried there was something wrong. All the prenatal testing indicated she was fine, but sometimes a mother just knows. When she was born, and I held her in my arms, I saw only perfection. I still do. We soon discovered our girl was special. In fact, she’s so unique there isn’t a name for her particular syndrome. She has come miles further than we were told she could. Her future is bright, yet shadowed by developmental and medical challenges. Our daughter doesn’t understand the rude looks or ignorant questions. A stranger’s comment about her “walking funny” results in a carefree smile. Teasing, from a neighbourhood kid earns him a giggle. One day, she will understand and feel the sting of hurtful words and actions. The most important thing I can do to prepare her is to help her to find her voice. My girl is a mess of blonde curls, big brown eyes and pouty pink lips. She’s beautiful. People want[…]

Dec 16 2011

What is with my family’s inability to keep their teeth in their heads??? I knocked out a front tooth when I was four. The adult tooth eventually came in, but slowly over the years it turned brown, then black. I eventually had to have it replaced with a crown (or live life as a pirate). When my son was a toddler, he followed in my footsteps and knocked out a front tooth. Two actually. Turns out the two teeth were attached at the root. Show-off. The adult tooth came in and though it’s not brown, it came in so high his eye tooth is practically IN his eye. In keeping with our family tradition, my sweet girl fell face first into an ottoman—which is soft except for the 1x1mm metal stud she zeroed in on. Fortunately she didn’t lose a tooth, but it was wiggly. I took her to the dentist the next morning. We’d been to this office a few times before and didn’t care for the dentist or her staff. Sorry. For a pediatric dental clinic they were not great with kids. Especially kids with special needs. The minute we pulled into the parking lot my daughter began[…]

Sep 21 2011

Sometimes when you have too much to say, you end up saying nothing at all. I’ve tried to write many times this week. But instead of writing a word, I clicked “close” every time. Sometimes when life is too hard, you shut yourself off. You assure everyone around you that everything is fine and you try to believe it. I feel guilty because others have struggles much harder than my own. I have a child with special needs. So what? So do many, many other parents. Our story is not unique. Avery is healthy and happy and beautiful and I should feel lucky. Or so I have been told. But some days, instead of lucky, I feel frightened, frustrated, angry or sad. I’ve always had the attitude that everything will be okay. This is our normal and life is good. It’s not perfect, but it’s good. It seems you can only go on for so long fooling yourself into thinking your life isn’t hard. My life is hard. Avery is funny and loving, but she’s difficult. She doesn’t understand “danger.” She is always at risk and it’s taxing living in a constant state of fight or flight.[…]

Jun 27 2011

Many of my friends and family who read this blog have asked how Heather, Zack’s mom, is doing. I can’t assume to know how she copes on a day to day basis, but the Heather I see is courageous and kind. She is an amazing mother and friend and one fiercely determined lady. She is moving forward one day at a time, but she never forgets to look back. Heather was on the CBC speaking eloquently and thoughtfully about the loss of a child and she continues to share Zack with us through her writing. This weekend our family attended “Zack’s Family Dream Day” at Lionel’s Farm. This is one of the many fundraising events spearheaded by Heather. This day was intended not only to raise money for Zack’s Dream Room, but to honour Zack’s memory by spending time with friends and loved ones at a place that meant so much to Zack and his family. Heather took a few minutes away from her “farm duties” and spoke. She expressed her gratitude to those who helped make the incredibly successful day a reality. She also shared her thoughts about the day, and about Zack. She said the[…]

Category - disability

Mother of the Year

Her Voice

See You Next Tooth-Day

Sometimes

Bubbles For Zack