Sam's Story (for God's Glory) -- As it perpetually unfolds...
As the header implies, this is Sam's story for God's glory. But it is filled with ups and downs, faith-filled endeavors and moments of *deep* despair. But I'll just (try to) hit the highlights for brevity sake. We've been on this journey with Sam since we started to notice the light leave his sweet little eyes around age 2. He was babbling and using words, he laughed a lot, and played with us and his brother. He had a wonderfully happy disposition, and it was a joy to watch him grow. Then it all stopped. We panicked. The word panic might evoke a momentary lapse in calm. This panic lasted years for us. We also naturally tried to assign blame, which became futile.
He was first diagnosed with Development Delay, then eventually Level 3 (the highest level) of Autism. We saw doctors, and watched videos, had virtual doctor visits and in person, we tried detoxes and supplements, MRI's and EEGs, still with no real answers. I would often say to myself, "something is blocking him from learning".. I just didn't know what it was and no one was telling me anything that made "the most" sense. So we did what everyone said... we did speech, and occupational therapy, and tried special schools and visited ABA clinics. We began to fall in line, do what we're given, and adopt the "wait and see" method.
Sam is now 5 and might use 10 words spontaneously. Is he improving? YES! But imagine having all of this knowledge and being trapped in your own body, unable to express things. He struggles everyday with stimming -- physical and verbal, inability to vocalize anything he wants, needs or thinks. He cannot answer yes or no questions. Things most parents do with ease does not happen in our house. Sam struggles with transitions and public settings. He struggles with sensory-stimulating things we encounter on a daily basis, major food aversions, he is not potty trained and is clinically nonverbal. For three years, we have done what we've been told to do. Until a dear friend shared this clinic with me.
Autism is a mystery to most of the world. No one knows (exactly) what causes it or really how to fix it. I ask a lot of questions, and I would often pick the brain of every specialist we encountered. Often I would leave appointments going, what if we could get all of these specialists in the same room. Also, I just knew something was not working correctly in Sam's brain. We would try something, it would work for a short period, and then stop. It was like he was unable to learn, or retain information. This clinic addresses both the physical therapy that must take place, after the brain has been properly rehabilitated! There is no place like it, and we have to get there. That's why we need help. The clinic is very expensive (which makes sense when you have 5 professionals examining and administering care to one kid!).
I truly believe you never stop someone from delivering a blessing, so we setup shop here. We currently have enough for the down payment, and I'm searching for grants and leaving messages with doctors. But I'm guessing it will eventually need to come out of pocket. Any little bit helps, and we are confident God will get us wherever we need to go. <3
