Posts Tagged ‘special needs family’
I’m Thankful For You: My Daughter Selena
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Christina Abernethy and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to honor and thank Selena, my understanding, passionate and kind hearted daughter. There are many people that I could write about that help our sweet ‘Bubba’ but she’s the one who stands out the most! Selena is 15 years old and the best big sister to our twin boys Ethan and Braidan. They are six years old and in first grade. Ethan (nickname ‘Bubba’) is our…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Husband
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Jamie Happel and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to honor and thank my husband, Chris Happel. He is an absolutely amazing husband and father. Chris and I met last year at the hospital we both work at. He is an Emergency Physician and I am a Radiographer and Mammographer. Fast forward a year later and we are now a crazy, fun and loving blended family with six children. Our children are ages 20, 13,…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Amazing Daughter
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Jennifer Hood and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to honor and thank my 24-year-old daughter Keegan. Or as she is known in our home, Sissy. I’ve raised an amazing daughter and I want her to know how truly thankful and appreciative I am for her. A little bit about our family. My husband and I have five children total. His, mine, and ours! They range in age from 4 to 24. When my 4-year-old…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Daughter, An Advocate
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Amy Herbert and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I want to honor and thank my daughter Isabelle Rose Herbert: Our son Ben’s smallest (yet biggest) advocate. Our daughter Isabelle was our first born. She was speaking in full sentences by 18 months and was (and is) such a rule follower. Just as perfect as a baby and toddler could get! She is just an all around amazing, smart, kind, and compassionate human. There was a reason God…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Daughter’s Grandma
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Katie McGregory and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November, I want to honor my mom Julie. She’s my number one partner in this autism journey. Yes, I have a husband, but he works and is not as involved in the autism/therapy/insurance stuff on a daily basis. My mom is the first person I usually call about Addie’s accomplishments, about ABA, speech, etc. She’s been to many important appointments and evaluations with me. She’s read books and educated herself…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: Jackson And His Jedis
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Melissa Stone and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) When I think about who I am thankful for this November, I hardly know where to begin. I cannot restrict all of my thanks to one specific person. Rather, I am thankful for “Jackson’s Jedis” (our “village” which is comprised of many individuals who support us where we reside in California). Together, we love and advocate for awareness and acceptance. The first and foremost member of this village is Jackson, our…
Read More10 Tips to Ask For a Sensory Event
I am constantly asked how my family attends so many sensory events. People will say…’You must live in a really understanding community.’ I just laugh. Every sensory event that we attend is because I asked them to have one. And then I asked ten more times. My son is nearing seven years old. We have been missing out for way too long. We want to join the community and have fun too. Yes, my son has autism. Yes, he is loud and rammy and busy. Yes, he processes joy and…
Read MoreHow Having an Autistic Child Affected My Marriage
To say our son was a challenging baby is an understatement. He didn’t sleep through the night for four years. We functioned in a constant state of exhaustion. He screamed most of his infancy. He struggled to eat. He struggled to poop. He was never content. He had never ending severe ear infections and multiple tubal surgeries. He missed milestones. He was even misdiagnosed a few times. Because of his delays and no real diagnosis the medical debt from therapy started piling onto the credit cards. Money got tight. And…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Aunt Glenda
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Brandy Bennett and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to honor my Aunt Glenda, my son’s Mimi. She truly is a blessing to me and Trevor and I can’t thank her enough for all she has done and all she continues to do. At 26 weeks pregnant, I was admitted in the hospital for pre-term labor. I was dilated 2cm, had a bulging bag and was 100% effaced. As soon as my family heard I was…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: Miss G
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Jenna Newman and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to nominate and honor my son’s preschool teacher, Miss Guerrini, or as we call her, Miss G! When my son Tommy was born, he had a very hard time breathing on his own and was put on breathing machine. Thankfully, he was only on it for a days and in the NICU for about a week. Today, Tommy is six years old and is autistic and…
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