May 24, 2010 Posted by Jolene

Thank You, C. Everett Koop

If you’re over forty, you may recognized the bearded doctor in the picture as the colorful surgeon general who served under Ronald Reagan. If you’re a little younger, you may remember him as the guy who tried to provide health information via the web in it’s early days and failed. But if you’re the parent of child with special medical, you should be exceedingly grateful to him. He... read more

May 19, 2010 Posted by Jolene

From My Puddle to Your Ocean, Part 1

The stories told by parents of kids with special needs never cease to amaze me. Like their children, these parents are resilient, resourceful, and most of all compassionate. Today you’re going to learn more about Amber Baker, who was introduced in a blog post a few weeks back. She’s a compassionate mom who says she found her greatest support as the parent of two children with special needs... read more

Nov 25, 2009 Posted by Jolene

PTSD Treatment Can Change Your Child’s Life

For the past few weeks, National Public Radio (NPR) has been airing a series called The Impact of War.  While listening to several episodes that described the symptoms of PTSD in returning vets, the similarities to our son Allen’s PTSD symptoms (caused by early, repeated medical traumas from 1982 – 1986) were striking. An Interview with General Eric Shinseki In a November 13 interview with... read more

Aug 31, 2009 Posted by Jolene

But What About Breast Feeding? Part Two

In the previous post, I explained the important role breast feeding played in our newborn son’s recovery from surgery immediately after his birth. In this post, I want to assure those of you who aren’t breast feeding for whatever reason, I am not trying to burden you with guilt or judge you in any way. That said, I encourage moms who want to breast feed, even if their newborns are struggling... read more