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| Parents reach out to parents | |
| Families with
disabled children meet at event, find valued
support in each other Heather Lalley - Staff writer Kathy Dalberg's 16-year-old son has cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder and speaks only a few words. So, when she senses he's not feeling well -- through his body language or whining -- she takes him to the doctor. Sometimes that means up to six visits a month. "I used to feel real guilty; now I just go," Dalberg told a room of families with disabled children Saturday. "Now I don't feel so bad," one mother in the audience exclaimed. Such revelations were the goal of Saturday's Early Childhood Family Enrichment Day at the Coeur d'Alene Inn. About 25 families attended the event, sponsored by Parents Reaching Out to Parents and Families Together. The two groups provide support for hundreds of North Idaho families with disabled children. Parents started the day with their kids, singing and playing with balloons. Then the children were taken to other rooms to play, and parents got to spend time together. They listened to a speaker talk about how a disabled child affects a marriage. During a panel presentation, they asked each other questions about group homes, potty training disabled kids, and the importance of neurologists. "It gives the parents time to get to know each other," said Pinehurst resident Cathy Harris, whose 6-year-old son, Elijah, is severely disabled. "It's nice to know we're not alone." Elijah was born with hydrocephaly, or water on the brain. Now blind, he suffers from daily seizures and has brain damage. Harris and her husband, James, spoon-fed their son cereal before he went off with the other children. Cathy Harris held Elijah's small, tensed fists and talked softly to him while he had a brief seizure. "He's like a big infant," Cathy Harris said. "It can be stressful, but watching him progress can be real joyful, too." Beth and John Bender are familiar with that kind of stress. The couple did not know their son, Austin, had developmental disabilities when they adopted him. Austin, who's now 2 years old, suffered from frequent seizures until last year, has poor muscle tone and doesn't speak. "Right now he's just soaring," Beth Bender said. "We work real hard." Memo: Heather Lalley can be reached at (208) 765-7132 or by e-mail at heatherl@spokesman.com. |
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