Life always goes as planned. Everything we want, we get. Every day is a fairytale. Nothing ever goes wrong. As a very special friend of mine would say, “NOT”!
I am the mother of a child with Special Needs. I never planned for it, never expected it; honestly, I never even considered it. But when it became my reality, I had to accept and deal with it. Now, I’ve embraced it, and though I would give anything for my child to never have another seizure or for him to be able to talk, I wouldn’t trade my life with anyone. I had no idea my human heart had the capacity to love so strongly and so completely. Each day I wake up I feel SO blessed to be Michael’s mom.
My love for him is why I am heartbroken every time I try to take my son somewhere to play and end up leaving because it just can’t accommodate him. There are so few resources for Michael, and for children like Michael that are designed to bring fun to their lives. When we attempt to take him to a place like Monkey Joe’s, or Adventure Landing or any place that is designed for fun for children, he can’t enjoy them. There are too many people, he doesn’t understand how to play with the games, or it’s so poorly spaced that he bumps into everything. I can only imagine how a child in a wheel chair must feel.
I know that there are nearly 50,000 children in Wake County alone with Special Needs. My family is not alone. Why, then, is there no place for them? It is my belief that we are not valued as consumers. Perhaps the builders and business owners are so disconnected from the Special Needs community they don’t know the need exists. Whatever the reason, enough is enough, and instead of complaining and trying to convince others to create it, I have decided that I can build it, with the help of my community.
We have the passion because we are the parents. We are the parents, therefore we know the struggle. We know the struggle and we want the change. We want the change, so we must pave the way! I hope you will join me as we embark on this journey to bring this much needed addition to our community. Along with your support, this dream recreational center can be a reality for the many deserving children and for our community.
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