Thoughtful Recap

On Tuesday I had the last phone appointment covered under the Bright Eyes grant with The Johnson Center (formally known as The Thoughtful House).

Just like every appointment I've had with them- whether it be by phone or in person- it lifted me up just when I was starting to feel very "stuck" and in a place of losing motivation.

It was bittersweet, to say the least.

I entered our family into the grant application process without ever really thinking we stood a chance.  And when Brian was one of fifty children picked out of a pool of FIVE HUNDRED, I could hardly believe it.

When I look back over the year I am amazed at how much we've been able to change and implement and how much progress Brian has made.

Talking to the nutritionist this time I was feeling down about how much Brian's diet is lacking in minerals and vitamins and she told me to stop and then she started to recite where his levels were a year ago.  And it blew my mind at how much better his diet is now.

I think about where he was academically and how much progress he has made.

I think about how when we first went down to Texas Brian never slept.  And now a night with any waking is the exception.

I think about the unexplained tantrums he was having and how they were explained by realizing his gut situation and how repairing that took away the tantrums.

I think about how much pleasure it brought me to hear family members exclaim over how well he was tolerating family events.

Some days are hard for sure.  Yet when I put it into perspective and can really think back to where we were a year ago....well, it brings me to tears.

The Johnson Center isn't going to get rid of us that easily as we will be staying on as clients, only now we'll be scraping by and having to be a bit more choosier on the tests we choose to do.  But with the gifts they gave us over this year there is no way we could leave their family.  They have given us hope, happiness, and knowledge.  They have opened a door in Brian that some professionals would have us believe he didn't have.

Thank you to the Johnson Center and of course to the anonymous donor who made the Bright Eyes Grant available in the first place.  You really have changed my little boy's life.