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Our Life with Michael

Our Life with Michael –

Life is a daily journey, especially with a special needs child. Our adventure began when we had just finished our foster care classes and were waiting for a placement.  It was two days before Christmas, and we got a call from children’s services about a little boy 2 ½ years old who had been abused and was at Children’s Hospital in Columbus.

We rode with them to the hospital and went into his room—a blonde boy in a body cast with the biggest smile, Michael.  How could we say “no” to that smile?  We set up the nursery because he was just learning to walk, etc.  We had no idea how far he would develop because he was far behind.  His abuse was not the cause of the disability—he has what is known as microcephaly and is epileptic.  We had many visits to Children’s Hospital with him, especially in those early days of having him with us.

After fostering, we decided to adopt Mike.  His early days at Hopewell School were an exciting time, but not without some challenges. He had great teachers but many severe behaviors. The staff and teachers at Hopewell were so good with him. As he hit his teenage years, his hormone changes became evident. He became more aggressive. This was the point where we determined he needed full-time care from staff who understood his disabilities.

So, at 15, Echoing Hills, with the help of Cordell Brown, allowed Mike to move into Echoing Lake – Starbuck. His aggression and behaviors were so bad during the transition to the Starbuck home that he had to have one-on-one care for the first two years.  He went through a period of medication adjustment, through the help of caring doctors and the Echoing Lake staff, who provided outstanding care. We would never have survived without Echoing Hills and the support of the loving, caring staff.

Michael loves several things – people, church, work, and pizza! He can sense when someone isn’t well or is going through a problem.  While he still enjoys going to church, as a child he was always up on the platform preaching or as he grew up – at the end of the service or the altar.   Another thing Mike has always loved is Camp Echoing Hills. He loves spending a week of the summer at camp or going for the sports retreat. He has enjoyed traveling with the Camp’s travel program (pre-Covid).

When David and I moved to North Carolina, we discussed moving him here but realized what was best for Mike was to stay at Starbuck because it is his home.   We love it because he has an iPad and can use FaceTime to call us, his sister Esther, and his brother Jeremy. Esther and Andy love to visit him and, of course, take him for pizza and ice cream.  Mike’s latest adventure is the splash pool in Oberlin which will help his muscle pain.

Mike’s verbal communication has always been challenging to understand. There are a few words we can often pick out, with the main ones being about Jesus, pizza, chocolate, and going for rides. We look forward to the day when, in Heaven, we will be able to understand everything he is saying to us.

Life with a child with disabilities is not always easy, but it has been so rewarding. We are so thankful for the amazing support we have had in raising Mike over the years, and are especially thankful for so many people who have worked with Mike through Hopewell School, Echoing Lake, and Murray Ridge. We could not have done this without all of them along the way.

Love. Learn. Worship.

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