WHY I'M A FREEDOM KEEPER

I remember the night like it was yesterday. Our family's pediatrician had administered a vaccine earlier that day and now he had spiked a fever, was red and inflamed at the injection point, and was screaming in his crib. I placed my hands on him and prayed fiercely that God would keep my baby alive through the night. I cried so much and mentally beat myself up for hours. I had heard the horror stories about vaccine injury and SIDS. My "crazy vegan mom" had warned me not to vaccinate my kids, but I just rolled my eyes and added it to the list of weird things she said. My other boys had been fine. I never thought it could happen to my family. But it did.

Thankfully Bo did wake up the next morning. I know other families that weren't so "lucky". But his speech immediately regressed. No more mama and dada, just a long series of baby babbles. We noticed, but so many well meaning people said "oh he's just the baby, everyone is talking for him" or "my brother/son/nephew didn't talk for a while and now you can't shut him up." That was just enough hope for us not to pursue answers. 

As time went on, no words came. At 2 we started being asked if we were worried. My father-in-law made a comment that he thought Bo might be autistic. We were pissed and defensive, at first. Then those words haunted us. We could no longer ignore a potential diagnosis. I found an M-CHAT-R test online and burst into tears at the results. "I think Bo might be autistic" I told my husband. 

But the fear of the unknown was completely paralyzing. I started slowly talking with friends who had special needs kiddos. The more I talked to others the more heard I felt, and the more I realized these "rare injuries" were not rare at all. One day I finally pulled the trigger and called Early Steps to get him evaluated. The day of the evaluation came and we were hopeful our little guy would do great. Not so much! It was a disaster. He showed them all of his worst moments, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He was approved for all the services.

After months of physical therapy and in home speech therapy he had 10 words. Those were my favorite 10 words of all time. We also switched up his diet and started him on some great products to help him detox and boost his cognitive function. (I go into all of that in detail below).

Then, in September of 2018 he started going to an ASD VPK class full time. His vocabulary grew. His social skills blossomed. He went from #silentbutfriendly to a little talker. All along the way God brought the most amazing, dedicated, and passionate people into our lives to help Bo. They've loved him as their own and worked with him in the good times and the bad. 

I'm so happy to say that Bo just finished the second grade and his IEP has been changed to reflect that he no longer needs speech or behavioral services at school.  His speech has exploded!! He's NEVER quiet anymore! I attribute it to all the great products and services he uses, but he's a legit genius child now! He loves to learn, especially math!! 

This journey through vaccine injury and autism has been hard, frustrating, emotional, and scary, but watching him grow has been so rewarding and has brought out our most compassionate side as a family. We don't know what the future holds for Bo, but we know it's gonna be quite the adventure, especially now that we've transitioned to homeschooling!

#believemothers 

#justasking

If you're a parent, grandparent, or loved one and have concerns about someone in your life, please, I urge you to speak up for them. You are not alone, and it is not your fault. A very wise friend told me that it's better to know than to not know, and all the hoping in the world can't help your child. Find people you trust and talk it out. Then very quickly turn your fear into action and advocacy. Believe me, one day your child will thank you, even if he can't say "thank you" yet. 💖💖💖