How do you help your child with #Autism navigate significant loss?

On Saturday morning, June 15th, my grandmother passed away at the age of 94. I've been really struggling with this loss for several reasons, but the loss isn't supposed to be easy. It's a part of life that we all will someday face, and it's unavoidable. While this is a tragically, heartbreaking time for our family, it also presents an opportunity to discuss how best to handle situations like this. I want to pose an important question to my fellow Autism and/or Special Needs parents out there. How do you help your Autistic or Special Needs child navigate significant loss? No one is given an instruction manual when they first become a parent. Being a parent is an awesome responsibility, and when things like Autism are added to the mix,…

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My head hurts, and my heart is broken

I wanted to share a picture of one of my favorite moments over the last few months. The kids and I would stop by and have ice cream with my grandmother after school, almost every single day. She looked forward to it, and so did the kids. It was an extraordinary moment spent between my grandmother and her great grandkids. I'm so proud of my kids because they were very devoted to her and they each expressed it in a unique way. On Saturday morning, around 8 AM, my grandmother passed away. She was 94 years old. I've spent time with her every single day for the last few months. We were very close, and I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm broken.

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I want to share some good news

I've been living at my grandmother's nursing home for the last couple of days. My brain is completely fried, and I'm exhausted beyond belief. While I was here yesterday, Lizze got word back from her neurologist about the results of her recent MRI that was done on her brain. Her doctor contacted her to let her know that everything was normal, and there's no physical abnormalities in her brain. That means no tumors and the cysts aren't an issue either. That's obviously a relief but also frustrating at the same time. She's in so much pain all the time, and part of her would have almost been relieved if something had been discovered because then at least we knew the cause of her pain. That being said we're very grateful…

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There’s been too much loss in such a short amount of time

I'm spending the day once again with my grandmother and various members of my family, as they sort of come through to visit. It's been a really long day, and I'm physically/emotionally exhausted. There's not a great deal of religion in my life, and that's by design. That being said, watching the priest perform last rites was really hard. I felt like I was going to get sick. I know it was important to my grandmother and my family, so I'm grateful the priest was able to make it out so quickly. There's been too much loss in the last six or right months. I know it's part of life and we all experience loss, but that doesn't make it any easier.

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I’m grateful but heartbroken

I spent the last 12 or 13 hours with my grandmother. I got home a little bit ago because the kids were getting freaked out that I was gone for so long. I'm going to try and grab a few hours of sleep before heading back. My Dad and uncle are staying with her tonight. If anything changes, they'll call me. I'm exhausted in all ways a human can be exhausted. I want to sleep for a few hours and then head back. It's important to me that I be there and Lizze is being a huge help. I'm so grateful for that.. I'm grateful for the time I'm getting with my grandmother. I'm heartbroken it's coming to an end, but I'm glad I've had the opportunity to go through…

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Things are rough right now, but life keeps moving forward

I slept pretty good last night, but I had weird dreams. It's been a stressful week in a number of ways, and I've not really processed much of it. Some of the week's events have been hugely positive, like Lizze not needing surgery and Gavin making it through all his extensive testing. I even managed to get some projects completed. That's a good thing because that means food on the table and money for the bills. There's also been difficult moments, and those have weighed incredibly heavy. I'm spending as much time as I can with my grandmother, and I'm so grateful Lizze is in a place to allow me this opportunity. I'm really struggling with everything going on with my grandmother, and I feel like I desperately need to…

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Life is on hold for right now

After I get Gavin to have his bloodwork done for the week, I'll be spending most of the day with my grandmother. She's not going to be with us much longer, and I want to be there as much as I can. I'm going to bring some work and just hang out in case she needs anything. This is a struggle for me, and I'm really depressed. This is the part of life that no one enjoys.

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