I’m passionate about helping others. When my son was born with Down syndrome, I began ingesting all the information I could on the subject. I had never actually met anyone with DS and wanted to absorb it all. I learned that also meant I was now an advocate for people with Down syndrome. As well as an advocate for people with disabilities.

When my son was diagnosed with cancer, I quickly learned how bad the lack of mental health care is for parents watching their kids fight cancer. I asked for help and was told that maybe “I could start something”, that was 30 days into treatment and felt like a slap in the face. So, now that he is 3 years off treatment I volunteer as a Peer support person to help other Moms navigate childhood cancer. As well as Moms of kids with Down syndrome and kids with DS who have cancer.

Then my son was diagnosed with autism. Level 3 is what the diagnosis is now and it’s still an unraveling mystery of what makes him, him. He’s amazing. And now I help other moms with a new autism diagnosis. 

I am having a hard time understanding how to process my emotions or have them make any sense, unless I can use them for good.  If I spent years of my life just watching my child fight for his, I don’t know where to put that purpose. It seems to make sense to turn that purpose into something useful.

My passion has followed this path for the last 9 years and now I feel like it’s being attacked from many angles. Another aspect that has come of all of this, is self worth. Self love. Self compassion. In order for me to dig myself out mentally, I had to really look at the world and who I am in it.