For the first time, we attended the 29th Annual Special Olympics Night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Wow! What an impressive event for families, group home residents, teams and schools. We were greeted by the United States Air Force National Guard and handed t-shirts and flags. After dinner, dancing and even some frisbee play, we all headed over to the speedway in golf carts. We went to a NASCAR race in 2011 with Grin Kids , but we were newbies and did not know to bring headphones or seat Ben in a wheelchair area. We spent the entire time fighting Ben as he "interacted" with the NASCAR enthusiasts and driven crazy by the noise of the roaring engines. This time we came prepared - headphones, earplugs and special seating for Ben. We made it through the practice rounds and all three qualifying races. We finished the evening with a thrill ride through the parking lot in a wheelchair ramped golf cart driven by a man who missed his calling as a race car driver.
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.