The first was in January when I had a day off of work. Metro happened to have a snow day (no snow, but still a snow day). So, I had my son with me. Griff is 5, has cerebral palsy, and walks with a walker. I wanted to get some gourmet popcorn as gifts so we drove to the other side of town to try out a new store I had heard of. As we were getting in the car a mom rolled down her window in the car next to me. She has a 3 year old son with cerebral palsy as well. We had a great conversation about kids with needs, our children, a particular surgery my son had this summer... All because we happened to be in the same place at the same time.
The second was a conversation with a mom in the waiting room at Vanderbilt Pediatric Therapies. She has twins with CP and we follow very similar paths. Her twins are 6 and it is just great to share stories and information.
The third was an email exchange initiated by a former therapist and friend of mine at First Steps. My son had a surgery this past summer called a Rhizotomy. She has a family who is having the same surgery next month and wanted to hook her up with someone who has been there.
Also, we have just begun swim lessons with a wonderful lady I will tell you about later. She is teaching a class at Vanderbilt to show students how to work with kids with special needs. There are probably 10-12 kids in the class. All the moms have something in common. Again, it is so nice to talk to someone who "gets it" and has ideas to share or will just listen.
And, finally, my husband and I experienced a 2 1/2 hour IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting. It was brutal, positive, productive, confrontational, humbling, overwhelming, and the 2nd of many to come!
All this left me with the need to share my story, my experiences, and help others in their journey with cerebral palsy. Surgeries, IEPs, therapy, trips, equipment... I hope others will share their tips, strategies, experiences.
Martha
