Reality Check

As I just posted our daughter, Emma, made a local year round city swim team. I guess I never quite realized swimming (at least in this city) is looked at as an 'elitist' sport. There are a handful of us families who do not drive a Mercedes, BMW or a Lexus and our kids go to public school instead of private institutions. Oh and did I also mention one of the first questions we get as being a new family is "where did Emma swim over the Summer?" I love the look on their faces when I say "the city swimming league!" Eeeek...can you imagine the nerve we have to bring our child to this swim league when she doesn't belong to a country club or prestigious neighborhood association swim team? How dare we!! If that weren't bad enough on our part we bring Adam along so these people who think they are high class have to see something they view as "imperfect."

I am not ashamed of my son, I am not ashamed that he's in a wheelchair and I will take him with me wherever and whenever I please - even if it makes people uncomfortable. Are people really so dumb that they think we don't see their stares or how they look at him like he doesn't belong? These people have no concept of viewing him as God's child and what's even worse is it appears they are raising their children to feel the same way. I even heard a parent whose child was coming close to sit next to us (you could tell they were interested in Adam) say "don't get too close" - come on people, he may not be able to walk and talk but he doesn't have a disease. I assure you your child won't catch my son's brain injury - it's not contagious!!

So, from my viewpoint this whole swim team experience is going to be a blast!! People like this need a reality check - they do not have an exclusive right to not be exposed to our world. If they become vulnerable and actually get to know us and Adam who knows even they might be changed by a child.

Fall 2008 update

I haven't posted an update on Adam in quite some time. The old website I was using for Adam is so unfriendly to update with, so I am switching to this blog format. To see Adam's old website Click Here.

Well, another school year has started and the children are back in the "swing" of things and finally on a routine. Summer was crazy and busier than I expected - we had some fun times, but it was busy nonetheless. In June Emma joined a city league swim team, the Shillito Superswimmers. She loved this and her team even won the Lexington City swimoffs. At the end of June Adam had an Video EEG at Vanderbilt in Nashville per the request of his new neurologist at Vandy...that went well in the terms of getting some seizures recorded in hopes of developing a better treatment plan for Adam. He has started a new medication, Trileptal, and we are in the midst of tweaking the dosage...so far it does seem to be helping. Then in July we celebrated Adam's 7th birthday while on vacation at the beach in South Carolina. I can hardly believe my baby is 7 years old, he has turned into such a handsome little boy!

Now that Summer is over we are getting in some great time with the ABR therapy - Adam doesn't mind one bit as we usually try to get at it as soon as he gets home from school at 1:00. He is usually tired and sleeps right through it. I would imagine as long as we've been doing this therapy he probably doesn't remember his life before it.

Oh and before I forget I am so proud of Emma - she qualified to be on a year round swim team here in Lexington, Wildcat Aquatics. She swims now 4 days a week and is already getting better at her strokes...watch out 2016 Olympics!! We are just thrilled she has found a 'sport' that is hers and is part of a team. There is so much kids learn from sports that you can't learn in the classroom.

Well, that's the update on us...hard to believe you can sum up a few months of your life in a simple few paragraphs. Of course I missed some things, but don't we all?