My entire life has revolved around Disney since I was little, until my son was born - then my life revolved around showing him the magic I grew up with.
My son Andy (named after Toy Story!) was nonverbal until he was 3.5 years old. I had expressed wanting to get him evaluated with his doctors many times, but was always told, "oh no, he's just on his own timeline. Wait until he's 3 and your school district will help if you're still concerned." I was really disheartened by this because I knew as his mama that he could really benefit from the resources out there available to him.
When he was 3 and I was so relieved to finally get him evaluated, the world shut down with the pandemic. He ended up not getting evaluated until almost 2022 when he was turning 5 and starting kindergarten through our homeschool charter. I've heard stories of parents struggling to get a diagnosis once the process started, but for us he was almost immediately diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. I was so relieved I cried. We started speech and Occupational therapy that next week and he SKYROCKETED from where he had sat stagnant for years. I felt so proud that I had stuck to my gut feelings and helped him get there.
Through the evaluation process and opening my eyes to Andrew's struggles, I started questioning myself, my past, and my issues. I started speaking with Andrew's team of therapists about if my concerns about myself were valid, and they supported me and encouraged me to get evaluated myself. My entire life made sense. All of my sensory struggles with no known explanation or cause. All of my mental health issues that rooted from untreated ADHD. I was so happy that Andrew and I had each other to navigate through this new world with, and that I could be a safe and understanding place for him as I had always been before. He is now 8 years old, in regular weekly therapies, and is skyrocketing in school. I have never been more proud.
I am running for us. My sweet son who has faced so many challenges but still pushed through and persevered. That sweet undiagnosed little girl inside of me who struggled so bad with fear and anxiety without knowing why. I'm running for those who fight to get help and struggle to find resources that believe in them. I'm running for the parents that never know if they'll hear the words mama and dada. I'm running for the tired, overwhelmed, anxiety filled parents who just want to see their sweet babies succeed.
I'm running for us. I would love if you'd support my fundraiser for Dougie's Team!