Hello Friends and Family!
We are so blessed! God has been so good to us during our nearly 5 years of marriage and blessed us with three wonderful boys: 3 year old Wesley, 2 year old Evan, and 7 month old Hutson. My husband and I truly have been amazed at how these three little fellas have filled our days with so much joy...and dirt...and noise, but we don't mind! We are just thrilled to death to have them! I am beginning this blog to keep interested friends and families updated on how things are going "down our road", and with the hope that in some way I can be an encouragement to other mothers and family members of those who are dealing with some of the same things we are...
You see, recently our oldest son Wesley was diagnosed with Developmental Delay. We have known for a while that things were difficult for him. He is not able to say full words correctly and some sounds are even very difficult for him. Communication is a real struggle. Wesley also has trouble with attention span and focus. Honestly, regarding that, we initially thought that he was just being a typical three year old boy, but it didn't take too long to realize that those things were difficult for him for reasons beyond his control and beyond our comprehension. A host of other issues were beginning to surface as well. Just before our youngest son was born we began looking into speech therapy for Wesley. We thought that if we could help him expand his vocabulary and learn how to better express himself and communicate, things would be better, but this was not all he needed. We were directed to have his hearing tested to rule out any possibility of hearing loss or hearing related issues. After being tested three separate times and all of the tests pointing the same direction, Wesley was cleared of any hearing issues...yay!!... but now what? There seemed to be no significant explanation for some of the struggles he was having. Our questions that we had were often referred to another person, then another, and then another and the circle continued. In the mean time, we watched our sons development stop, and had no answers as to why or what we could do for him. For me personally, as a mom, there is nothing more difficult than knowing my child has a need and I cannot care for it, but that was exactly where I was finding myself. Hopeless and helpless.
Our next step was to have a psychological evaluation and developmental assessment done. Those four words terrified me and still make my stomach turn. If there was a physical problem, there could be some sort of operation or medical appointment and my son could be "fixed." If it was psychological issues...I couldn't fix that. These assessments took more time than I wanted them too. I know things must run their course and it's all a process, but I was growing impatient. My 2 year old had far surpassed my 3 year old in development and speech, as well as cognitive skills. Why wasn't Wesley progressing? What was causing it? Would this be forever? Too many questions and too much of a burden. I'm so thankful I have a Heavenly Father who has promised to bear all of my burdens. Can I say that this journey would be impossible without His grace, guidance, and peace! He is so good! The evaluation and assessment determined that Wesley was functioning on the level of a 17 month old, that he was Developmentally Delayed, and that he had a learning disability, and that was that. No other advice. No other suggestions. No other help. He was assigned to a local elementary school to begin special education and begin the long, slow process of getting help. In my heart, I knew that Wesley needed something else. I was glad to finally, after 7 months of tests and assessments and dead ends, be able to get him some help; however I felt like the help he was getting was not geared toward the source of the problem. With these issues, many want to look at the symptoms and not the source. We wanted to get at the source, but didn't know what else to do.
One evening a couple of months ago, my 2 year old was having a rough day at church in his nursery. He's little Mr. Personality and never has rough days like he was having. It was very unusual. I had decided to sit with him in his room that evening while he calmed down, and while I was there, the Lord had a divine appointment for me. I met a lady working in that nursery who knew of a little girl almost Wesley's age who had dealt with nearly everything he had been dealing with. She explained to me a little about what her parents had done to help her, and immediately I knew why my son Evan was having a rough night and why I was in that room with him with that kind lady. The Lord knew I needed encouragement that day. I was mess and felt like crying all day. Wesley's situation really had me down and was weighing heavy on my heart.
That night I learned about Brain Balance Achievement Centers, where Wesley is now enrolled and will soon begin therapy. After having had so many unanswered questions and so many discouraging appointments. It was BEYOND WONDERFUL to have someone look at me and say, "we can help him!" - They knew what was going on in my sweet little boy's world! They could tell me why he was struggling and what was causing it!! The greatest thing my husband and I walked away with from our first appointment at Brain Balance was knowing that they took a personal interest in Wesley. They loved him! It brought tears to my eyes to see them interact with him and care for him. We weren't a number, an appointment, or a statistic to them. There was no "label." He's important to them! I will explain more in my next post about Brain Balance and exactly what they are all about. I will also post updates here as our journey helping Wesley continues. This will be the easiest way for us.
Please read and share this post. We need this post to reach as many people as possible. We are currently seeking to raise the funds for Wesley's therapy program costs as well as travel expenses. This center is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and we will be traveling back and forth often for check ups and appointments. We will also be beginning some supplemental and nutritional changes to Wesley's diet as part of his therapy program. Our prayer is that God will touch many hearts to help us both prayerfully and financially. Most of Wesley's therapy will be done by me (the mom! :) in our home, but getting Wesley the help he truly needs comes at a great cost which is not covered by insurance. We will do everything it takes to help our son. We will travel to the ends of the earth if need be, and if you're a parent reading this, you know exactly how I feel, because if you were in my shoes, you would do the same for your child. We are praying Wesley's story reaches many hearts and encourages others to keep the joy and continue on! Please consider a donation to help us help our son! Visit: http://www.gofundme.com/wesleyr
Many Blessings,
Kara Rodgers :)
