eSpecially Ben

Some very special fans for Ben. The 2015 Opening Ceremonies for  Mecklenburg County Special Olympics is  Monday, April 20, 2015 10am-Noon Bojangles Coliseum Free Admission, Free Parking Open to the Public, All are Welcome Homer from the Charlotte Knights Baseball Team leads the Color Guard. 2014 Fans from St. Luke's Lutheran Church Larry Sprinkle, a local TV celebrity, and Sir Purr of the Carolina Panthers cheer on the athletes.

As I sat with Ben in his bedroom the other night, my mind wandered. I recently cleaned up the shelves in our library and all the baby books were taken down and dusted. Each son has their own photo album, baby book and keepsake box. I thought about Ben's books and how being the first child, every single moment was honored with a snapshot. My meandering mind went to the dark place I keep hidden in the deepest recesses of my mind. Ryan and I will not be around for Ben one day. It saddens and scares me. I know he has Logan and Sean, but it will be different. As parents, we have a level of love and understanding of Ben that no one can come close to emulating. With us gone, Ben would be in the care of other people - strangers - people we do not know, people we have not vetted. My one solace was knowing how Ben's albums would show these strangers that he came from a loving family who cared about him. They would see a sweet boy smiling, surrounded by family and friends. I rati

After 10 years of being in the world of special needs, we have pretty much heard it all - what we can do for Ben, what we should buy and try and how we should do certain things. For the most part, we have done everything suggested, including, but definitely not exhaustive - chewy tubes, electric impulse machines, ABA therapy, special utensils, foam seats, kinesio tape, weighted vests, vibrating pillows, exercise balls, whistles, vibrating pens and even cloth napkins. When Ben starts with a new therapist, they make suggestions based on their experience and observations. More than likely, we have tried the technique or equipment at an earlier time in Ben's life. It has either worked and we still do it, worked but not anymore, worked but not worth the hassle, worked but we got lazy or not worked at all. A few weeks ago, the vibrating toothbrush idea was brought up to me again. I would be lying if I did not share that I do get tired of these ideas. My responses have run the gamut: