We are walking a road that has not been walked at our school. Children like Matthew did not use to survive long enough to go to school. The effects from so many surgeries and medications have caused symptoms similar to Autism and ADHD in Matthew. But, because he doesn’t fit either one exactly, nobody knows what to do with him. He is also SUPER smart and so the law says he must suffer. That is NOT ok with me and so we fight on! This is WAY beyond my levels of comfort but I am doing my best to be a voice for my child who is struggling.
I did ask Matthew to think of a medical story that he would like to share. This is what he came up with. He typed it all by himself.
One afternoon, I was very sick and my dad gave me a priesthood blessing and a second later I was all better.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In honor of CHD – Congenital Heart Defect - awareness week:
• Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 birth defect. Source: March of Dimes
• 40,000 infants are born with CHD each year in the U.S.
(Still, newborns are not screened for CHD’s.)
• Though research is ongoing, at least 35 defects have now been identified.
• Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed toward Congenital Heart Defect research. Source: Children’s Heart Foundation
• This year approximately 4,000 babies will not live to see their first birthday because of Congenital Heart Defects. Source: Children’s Heart Foundation
I love how kids get straight to the point! He's such a cute boy!
ReplyDeleteYou need to have some kind of disclaimer.... since I waited the whole week to find out there was no cliffhanger to speak of. =)
ReplyDeleteLOVE Matthew's post!!
The College of Southern Idaho is a "community college"... thus... our Institute has a lot of kids every year who have interesting stories to tell about their fights with public education because of a "disability" they have. And I always find it interesting that these kids are usually the brightest and the finest of the kids we have come through the Institute. We all have our callings in life Becky... obviously this one is yours. I know that Matthew is the focus of your work but remember there will be "Matthews" behind him. So fight for him but fight for all the others too. See the big picture. It might help with the daily frustrations..... or not!! =) Keep at it and let us know if there's ever anything we can do to help!!