A Journey from Darkness into Light
This last week has brought about a terrifying change in Olivers epilepsy. Twice now he has stopped breathing during his seizures. It’s not because he’s choking. He just stops. All inspiration and expiration ceases, he becomes eerily still, and his heart beats so hard that it shakes his g-tube button. These seizures are different than... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, Oliver hit me so hard that he gave me a fat lip and a bruise. This certainly isn't the first time his flailing limbs have come into contact with my face but it was so hard this time that it made me cry… partially due to the pain, but mostly because it was one... Continue Reading →
I’ve been meaning to post a Baclofen Pump update for a long time but the weeks just keep flying by! And to be honest, I’ve also been waiting for a turning point where I could report glowing reviews of this procedure and it’s effects, but that hasn’t come yet, so I figured I’d share our... Continue Reading →
Driving to the hospital in the dark this morning, it felt as if I were living in a dream. Words fail to describe the many emotions of a mother embarking upon invasive surgery for her child, while knowing full well that they do not grasp the gravity of what is about to happen. Each... Continue Reading →
Tonight, as I bathed Oliver for the last time at home before his surgery, I marveled at where our story has taken us. The irony of this journey is that it has molded me into a warrior. I have become accustomed to the many battles. But it has also cracked my heart open wide, exposing... Continue Reading →
Well, we gave the go-ahead to Oliver’s surgical team to schedule his Baclofen Pump placement procedure. Ever since I sent the email I’ve been consumed with anxiety and second-guesses. I know he’s having to work so hard now to fight the dystonia and spasticity. I hear him gasping for air because he is writhing... Continue Reading →
About a year after I created Oliver's Odyssey, I found myself at a backyard barbecue with a women I’d never met. I was telling her about this blog, the story behind it and what it meant to me. When I finished she laughed and said, “Well, I think it’s kind of funny that you call... Continue Reading →
Ya know, some years, ya just don’t quite have it all together 😆 Some years you don’t even think about Halloween until your kid’s bus driver gets off the bus dressed as a Crayola Crayon and you think, “Hm… why is she dressed as a …. Faaacckkkk!!! He was supposed to wear a costume today.” Then, to squash your... Continue Reading →
For the first five years of Oliver life, we were able to find work a rounds for many of his physical limitations, essentially sweeping under the rug the level of his disability. When we wanted to hike, we threw him in a baby backpack. When we wanted to travel, we changed him on the baby... Continue Reading →
When I arrived in Chicago 35 days ago, I was a frazzled, sleep-deprived, anxiety-ridden mess. I’d been experiencing life-draining insomnia, unmanageable fatigue, heart palpitations, muscles spasms, chronic pain, 3-day long migraines and my gut had shut down to the point that eating anything caused me terrible pain. I had gone to as many doctors as... Continue Reading →
My first yoga teacher training was 12 years ago, during a time when my life was filled with ease in nearly all ways. I lived in an off-grid jungle cabin. I slept well, ate well, had an abundance of time all to myself and few responsibilities to bear. Teacher training filled my days, and I quickly became immersed... Continue Reading →
A while back, during the time just after Nicco’s birth, when my husband was working all day and starting a business all night, when sick family members were living with us and I was struggling to set reasonable boundaries for what I was able to take on, I began to notice a change in my... Continue Reading →
Oliver's Odyssey 