How many times have Ryan and I watched from a distance – mostly online – as a special needs family spent weeks or even months in the hospital with their child, and we said to each other – gosh, that’s gotta be hard. We had a limited understanding of how difficult an ordeal like that could be because Luke has been extremely healthy for many years – healthy until now – our 25th day spent in the hospital.

Now we know how hard it is; we know on a personal level. We’re aware that it involves trying to determine how a non verbal child is feeling or reacting to a particular treatment. It includes stiff muscles from sedation & sleeping on hospital cots & sleep deprivation from vital checks & rounds. It involves depleting the savings account because of days missed at work & stress related problems & nutritional deficiencies because our meal options primarily consist of Taco Bell or Pizza Hut. It’s depression & ptsd & loneliness & marital disconnect & siblings who misbehave because they need attention too and a house that hasn’t been cleaned in a month & rotting fruit & veggies because of absentee parents & piles of laundry & bills & vehicles that require servicing because of extra miles driving back and forth and back and forth, and exhaustion on a level where in your quietest moments you wonder if you might die.

My passion in life is to bring awareness to the struggles special needs families face. It’s why I started The Lucas Project – to bring public awareness to the problem and then provide a solution.

I couldn’t personally speak into the medical mom struggle before this journey because it wasn’t my story, but it is now, and I will lend my voice – honestly and vulnerably to the conversation in order to bring awareness to the silent warriors tucked away – rocking themselves into a disrupted sleep, penning updates for the masses; those hiding behind cords & beeping machines & very sick children.

I see you.

I see you
I see you.
I see you.

Solidarity & peace & love my friends ❤️