Cody is in a man’s body with the mind of a child. His body is growing faster than his mind and there are many challenges that come with that. Cody had a huge tantrum last night. Tantrum not meltdown...
Standing Strong Yet Weary….
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special needs Archive
Enough Is Enough
From the minute you become a parent, the overwhelming fear and concern sets in. You constantly question whether every choice or decision you make on your child’s behalf is the right one. When your...
No One Answers Our Desperate Pleas for Help
“Come back to me…” I whisper as I hold my 3-year-old daughter who is once again slipping into the unknown, an unknown that I have few tools to help her navigate because the treatment options we’ve...
When He Prays
As written by Lindsay Criswell from her blog @Branch and Stone Studio My son cannot usually answer open ended questions. He may not look you in the eye. My son might come by your side, but then he...
Don’t Tell Me
Don’t tell me It’s not severe When it’s my story To tell. Don’t tell me It’s not severe When I daily live A version of hell. Don’t tell me It’s not severe When all you got Is something to sell....
A Holy Shift
I descended the stairs, immediately irritated by what was awaiting me with each scream originating from my 15-year-old son. Great, I muttered as the uninvited stench rose to greet my nose. Luke, my...
Manna for the Moment
Luke has been back in school for about a week now. Experts claim that special needs caretakers often experience PTSD, and I particularly notice this tendency when I don’t have him on my radar for an...
MOM! Don’t Bring Luke!
A few weeks ago, on a particularly warm summer day, Ryan and I announced to our crew – Kids! You’ve been so helpful lately and did your chores without complaining so we’re going to have a family fun...
A Glimpse – I Choose Hard
“You and Ryan seem so calm” A phrase I often heard when Luke was in PICU for almost 4 weeks this past December and into January. We probably appeared calm because we’ve experienced the worst case...
Simple Ways to Support Special Needs Caregivers
Anger, guilt, anxiety, depression, stress and exhaustion. Pick a word – special needs caregivers experience it. Not seasonally nor occasionally but daily. I do often with 8 kids; one, my 15...
Caregiver Spotlight – Deanna’s Story
Thank you for your willingness to share your story for The Lucas Project blog! My objective is to raise awareness and shine a spotlight on caregivers and how difficult our role can be. We...
Caregiver Spotlight – Susanna’s Story
Thank you for your willingness to share your story for The Lucas Project blog! My objective in raising awareness is to shine a spotlight on caretakers and how difficult our role can be. We...