This is a photo of Ben after he met a new friend today. Ben giggled the entire time he was with his new friend. We were connected with the "Z" family a few months ago when we were donating a piece of equipment. A school physical therapist connected us, but we only met the dad that first time. He mentioned that their son seemed similar to Ben. We finally met today at a local park and Ben and "D" were strangely similar in their abilities, habits and history. Ben was in love with the whole family, including their dog. Ben was interested in D and tried to interact with him. It was fun to watch Ben "make a friend." I see us spending more time with them - Ben's judgment of people is usually spot-on.
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.