My MP3 player started with Bieber and ended with the theme from Rocky. I was running a 5k race called, Lace Up Son , a play on former Carolina Panther's Steve Smith's words to Aqib Talib, " Ice Up Son " , after a football game that left the New England Patriots on the losing side. About two weeks before the race, I heard Steve Smith on the local radio show discussing the race and his foundation, the Steve Smith Family Foundation . He made a point to say that the race and events afterward were family oriented and that a portion of the proceeds would go to support Special Olympics. There was something about how he talked about the race and his vision for it that made me want to go. At 6am on Memorial Day, the day of the 8:15am race in a town 30 minutes away, I was definitely thinking twice about what I had gotten us all into. The kids were snug in their beds, Ryan and I could have slept in late, instead, I dragged everyone to the car. No regrets from any of us n
These stories describe our journey with Ben, our oldest son. Ben is a sweet and energetic redhead, born with Rett Syndrome, a rare genetic mutation. My husband, Ryan, and I try to keep up with Ben and his two younger brothers. I intend to shed insight into raising a child with disabilities and pass on the wisdom we’ve earned over the past two decades.