Best Friends Forever

Friendship, companionship, fellowship, confidant, playmate and partner in crime. Whatever word you use we all want friendships and connections with others. My best friend when I was growing up was my twin sister. When we were little we played barbies until our dad would yell at us to go to bed. We spent countless hours together. When we weren't fighting it was awesome to have a sister who was my best friend.

We shared our thoughts about boys, school and our home life. As we grew up we shared in the joys and disappointments of marriage, raising children, and divorce. Even though we have experienced our ups and downs I still consider her my best friend.

When I gave birth to my daughter I looked forward to her experiencing the same type of relationship with her sister. Due to various reasons I didn't have any more children. Meghann never had the chance to develop the bond of a sister and best friend. When she started school she rode a school bus out of district 100 miles round trip every day. It was almost impossible for her to maintain a relationship with the children in school. Of course, it didn't help that she was the only girl in her contained classroom. Fortunately for my daughter she developed wonderful relationships with her three cousins in the summer months. These three girls were very loving and a positive influence in Meghann's life. She spent all summer with the girls swimming until they graduated high school. When distance is present between friends it is very difficult to maintain a relationship. I find myself making dates to spend time with my friends because everyone is busy and most of them live within 25 miles from me.

There are two mothers who didn't let distance or a disability stand in the way of their daughters friendship. They were in the same class in school and lived 50 miles apart from each other.

On Tuesday April 4 at 7 p.m.  the online support group for special needs parents and caregivers  meeting will have the pleasure of listening to a story about friendship. Two moms made it their mission for their differently abled girls to begin, stay and continue their friendship to this day. It is a story that will inspire each of us to take care of our own friendships and never take our best friend for granted.

Sign on to zoom. ID meeting number 859 589 845  

March Online Support Group Meeting

The online support group for special needs parents and caregiver was held recently. It was nice to meet some new people and catch up with returning participates.

We continued our discussion from last month about adult service. It is obvious that there is  more discussion needed about services after high school for many of our online special needs parents. There was valuable information shared among the group about many issues. We hope to continue the dialogue at a later time.

Marie's Story

The online support group listen to Marie's heartfelt story about her middle son Griffin who is 12 years old. Griffin has been diagnosed with a partial deletion of the NRXN-1 gene, which is the cause for his autistic behavior. He is nonverbal. Although he communicates differently it hasn’t stopped the instant attraction that everyone has to his sweet and magnetic personality when they first meet him. This allure has followed him to his school. Griffin is currently living in a residential school where he is learning new tools to become more independent. Marie shared their challenges and how they made the decision to move Griffin into a residential home.

We could tell that after several years of Griffin living away from his family that his absence in their everyday lives has left a sadness that looms over their home.  It is also apparent that after 4 years of applied behavior therapy Griffin has made significantly positive changes in his life and that makes it all worth it.

I am sure the support group would agree that we would love to have Marie continue her discussion with us about Griffin and his progress.

Another topic discussed was the support for the  April 4th vote for the Mental Health Board for Knox county.   This is an important vote for the special needs community to ensure that existing services are continued.  The yes vote  will also help fill the gaps for unmet needs such as respite care.  I know first hand how respite can be a lifesaver. If it wasn’t for respite services I never would of had a break when my daughter was little because of the amount of special care she  needed.

On a personal note-

Sometimes in the busy world  we don’t take the time to recognize the important work that agencies do for the special needs population. It is easy to criticize or complain when things do not go according to our plan.  

As a special needs parent, I had grown accustomed  to fighting for the best  services  for my daughter.  When Meghann graduated from high school I had no idea how everything was going to work. I had developed all of these great relationships with the professional people in Meghann’s world. I was scared that I had to start all over figuring out who and what everyone did in Meghann’s new life as an adult. I always thought that it took unique people to work in the specialized field of differently abled children.Today I am finding out that those unique people are carried over to the adult special needs community. I want to give a big THANK YOU  to all of the people who work and continue to fight for services for differently abled people. Without all of you we wouldn’t have the opportunity to vote YES to support the mental health board for Knox county. Please remember the important services that agencies such as Abilities Plus, Gateway and KCCDD (KCCDD is in Galesburg and is the workshop Meghann attends every day) provide for so many people.

The next online support group meeting will be held on Tuesday April 4^th. I will be posting information about the April meeting soon.

Workshop for Special needs parents and caregivers

             
                                                             

             Parents and caregivers of special needs children and adults

                 Do you have questions that only an attorney can answer? 

                 If I receive some positive feedback about the link                     below I would be willing to contact Mr. Farley to                       speak at a future support group meeting. 

               

Mr. Farley is  an attorney that assists parents and families of special needs individuals. He is a parent of a special needs son so he has a personal investment in the special needs community.   

                                                                                

 Workshop: March 28, 2017
How to Be Successful in Obtaining Funding for a Developmentally Disabled Person

The workshop will be presented on the following date/time:

• March 28, 2017
  (Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.)

The Workshop Is Offered Free Of Charge – Please bring a copy of “The Book” to the Workshop:

Location:
Naperville Public Library (95th Street Location)
3015 Cedar Glade Drive, Meeting Room A
Naperville, IL 60564

Please RSVP at farleylaw@aol.com or 630-369-0103.

This Workshop will address the following issues:

1. Why It Is Essential To Get On State of Illinois “Waiting List.”
2. What To Do If You Cannot Wait For Your Child’s Name To Be Pulled From The Waiting List.
3. What Services Are Available For Your Child From The State of Illinois.
4. Guardianship – How To Obtain / Is Guardianship Necessary?
5. Special Needs Trusts.
6. Applying for SSI Benefits at age 18.
7. Update on Current Litigation in Illinois On Behalf of Disabled Persons & How It Will Affect Your Child.
8. Strategies To Obtain Funding For Disability Services & Overcome Those Persons Who Say You Cannot Succeed Because You Are Not An Emergency.

Attorney Robert H. Farley, Jr. is available to assist parents and families in matters of Estate Planning, Special Needs Trust, and Guardianship. Mr. Farley is a valuable resource for families in how to successfully navigate the disability system in Illinois.

http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/1088665/cd48ea5313/519510715/5399dc4729/

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Thank you !

  jillianm1963@hotmail.com

March 7th - Tuesday  7 p.m.

Online support group for Special needs parents and caregivers. If you have a sibling, aunt, uncle or cousin that are differently abled you are welcome to join.

Remember to join the online support group meeting  tonight.  We have a great night planned.

Check it out this Tuesday or every first Tuesday of each month.

Stay as long as you wish.

Participate at the level that you are comfortable.

Use the app zoom to participate along with the ID meeting number or the phone number  phone. Phone number:

646-558-8656

Zoom ID meeting number

859 589 845

Jill’s contact information

jillianm1963@hotmail.com

Txt- 815-866-3776

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