Two years ago when Andrew and I lost Liam at 23 weeks, we lost so much more than a pregnancy. We lost a dream of a family we had prayed for, we lost the dream of having a bigger family, we lost the dream and hope of Barnett growing up with a sibling who would be there for him after we are gone.
For those of you who know us, this loss was more than I could bare. While Andrew remained strong and kept our family and household going, I personally fell apart…it was the darkest period of my life. I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t avoid the intrusive thoughts of what Barnett’s life would be like after Andrew and I are gone. For those closest to me, you know just how dark those thoughts got and the terrible places my mind took me.
Hope was lost and so was I. The weight of fear for Barnett’s future sat heavy on our chests. At the time, we were in the public school setting and we were being told that Barnett couldn’t have any educational goals on his IEP because he wasn’t cognitively capable of it and oh by the way we are going to put your 5 year old child in a class with 5th graders because mentally they are all the same. It was at this time that my fear turned to anger and rage and I was no longer going to allow things to happen to us or Barnett that I knew were not right. And that is when we found MDE School.
For all that Andrew and I have lost and mourned, we gained so much from being part of the amazing community at MDE. MDE is so much more than a special needs school. It is a place full of hopes and dreams for a better future for our kids. It is a community of likeminded parents, teachers and therapists who all share the same vision and goal to provide neurodivergent children a safe place to grow and thrive. And most importantly, it is a place that has healed this mom’s heart and given me a personal mission to make sure that its always around. So, on this year’s Annual Day of Giving, Andrew and I are reaching out to our friends and family to help us in our mission to ensure the continuation of places like MDE. Help us continue to support this amazing school and the incredible teachers and students. With your donations this year, MDE is hoping to install security cameras, purchase more interactive technology for our non-verbal children to communicate along with additional special needs training for the amazing staff.
