Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Special Olympics

A Grandma's Perspective: Child with 5p- Brings Out the Best in Family

Marjorie and her grandson, Graham Guest post by Marjorie Frick My name is Gee or Grammy depending on which grandchild you ask. I have been blessed to raise two daughters and have five grandchildren, four boys and a girl, all under the age of six. Our oldest grandchild, Graham, was born with a rare genetic disorder called Cri du Chat or 5p- . It is a deletion on the p arm of the fifth chromosome.  During the first few months of Graham’s life, we began to pick up on small clues that there might be something amiss. My daughter fought to be referred to specialists and to get some therapies started.  Graham was missing some milestones. Two of the biggest issues were feeding difficulties and sleep.  After receiving genetic counseling, we finally got a diagnosis at about seven months old. This was one of the worst days of my life.  It helped me see that one of my most important roles in being a grandparent to Graham was to be a parent to my daughter. Graham was receiving the care he needed f

How These Friends Met

Hello, my name is Kynna Burney. I met Ben my 7th grade year of middle school in gym class where we were able to pick our peer buddies for the year.  In the gym class we were picking our buddies. Everyone was going for Ben but Ben wasn’t going for them. Finally, when it was my turn, I went for Ben and he immediately lightened up and was extremely happy. He is nonverbal, so he started getting loud, almost like a scream, and flapping those hands letting them know he wanted me. It was like we were meant to be.  Everyone was surprised as to why all of a sudden he was so happy to be with me because when I tell you he had a mean face on the whole time (LOL) but as soon as I started towards him that frown turned upside down. It was like he had me already picked from the time he saw us lining up. He was just waiting for me to come over. From that day, I continued to visit him in school and go on field trips with him. Our bond just kept getting stronger by the minute and even once we left middle

Ben at the Special Olympics

A local private high school has been hosting the Mecklenburg County Special Olympics for many years. The students get the day off from classes to volunteer as a buddy to one of the athletes. Ben was lucky again this year and had two students with him for the day. We watched the motorized wheelchair race. And this foot race. Smiles and cheers for everyone that day. Next year when Ben is eight, he will be able to compete in one of the sports. I look forward to this!

Happy Mother's Day!

Help raise money for Special Olympics by watching this video. Proctor and Gamble will give $1 for every "like", share or comment. Here's a link to the Facebook Page: Thank You, Mom!

Magic Marker Monday: Not Exactly Artwork...

This is the ribbon Ben received at the Special Olympics. Not exactly artwork - but definitely inspirational. I think we can all live by these words. “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” — Special Olympics Athlete Oath   Check out other works of art:  www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com