~One mother's adventures of raising a teenager on the Spectrum while working as an LPN.
I’m a mother, wife, and nurse. That’s the simple answer to the question: Who am I? I’ve been a mother for twenty-five years, a wife just as long, and a nurse for thirteen plus years. I have two children, a daughter, and a son. They are my life and purpose for being.
I finished my third year of college for a degree in education. It wasn’t until my son's difficult pregnancy and birth at twenty-nine weeks that I decided to change my field of study. My son was born premature and in the NICU for six weeks. I remember seeing the initials on the nurse’s badge, “LPN”, in NICU and asked her what it meant. It was then, that I decided to change careers and become a licensed practical nurse. That is how I started my nursing journey.
I love teaching and I love taking care of people. The best part about nursing is you can do both. As nurses, we educate our patients and advocate for their well-being. We can help them at their worst and see them at their best… most times. I’ve worked in urology, pulmonary, skilled nursing, and assisted living. I have an associate's degree in education and have multistate privileges as an LPN. I’m a certified dementia practitioner while currently working towards an Autism Certificate.
Being a nurse doesn’t exclude you from the Higher Power’s plan. They say, ‘He’ll never give you more than you can deal with or handle.” You see, we waited nearly ten years before having another child because I thought my first pregnancy was difficult. In hindsight, she was a breeze compared to the last one. I had preeclampsia again along with H.E.L.L.P. syndrome. That caused the emergency c-section and platelet transfusions at twenty-nine weeks. I was told in the hospital before bringing my son home that he would be deaf and blind due to being premature, jaundiced, and ventilated. That first year was so stressful, full of all kinds of doctor appointments. By God’s grace, my son is neither blind nor deaf.
After years of going from doctor to doctor it wasn’t until my son was nine years old, in the fifth grade that he was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Most children with ASD are often diagnosed late. He is now fifteen years old and a sophomore in high school.
From this blog, you can expect to find information related to ASD, ADHD, and Anxiety/Depression. I’ll share our family’s own experiences navigating the school system, SSI, and DSS, along with the struggles of advocating for my son with doctors. I plan to share references and links to pertinent information which may help get people through the red tape of the medical and social systems. My purpose for this blog is to help other families advocate for their loved ones. I hope sharing our experiences, challenges, and blessings will encourage others not to give up, even on the hard days.
I hope to post biweekly and eventually weekly. I encourage constructive criticism, the personal experience of others, and feedback. All are encouraged. The goal is to raise awareness and normalize ASD as an ability, not as a disability.
Please feel free to leave a comment or ask questions.
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Sincerely,
~Rosa