Why Does She Wear That Thing on Her Neck?

Brooke has become accustomed to wearing her collar, in fact she likes it.  She tells me her head feels better when it is on.  She wears it all the time when we are out and about.  It helps and she does not mind.  Plus it makes me less nervous if she is bumped or falls down.  Every once in awhile you will hear a child say, "Why does she have that thing on her neck?"  And the normal response from the parent is "I don't know?"  I thought I would write this blog post to encourage parents.  Take some time with your kids to learn about disabilities.  Their are so many great books at the library that can show kids pictures of children with various disabilities.

It is so important for our children to understand that children with disabilities are no different then the rest of us.  Many of them just use different tools to help them- walkers, wheelchairs, collars.  I am so proud of Brooke and how well she handles the people watching and asking questions.  Some days she becomes annoyed and I just tell people she is tired.  I sometimes wonder how she does cope.  I mean yes, she is doing well and can do many things.  But I know it bothers her that she is restricted from so much.  Sometimes I feel bad saying no stop doing that. Brooke is a trooper though!

Now that we have settled back into normal, I am going to make the appointments with a gastro doc and the orthopedic surgeon.  I am thankful the surgery went well, but am disappointed that only one thing(out of 4) was fixed.  We knew this might be the case.  And so we trudge on. 

Praying you have a blessed and wonderful Easter!