BY CHRISTINE REDMAN-WALDEYER Connectedness, Independence & Growth Good actions ennoble us, and we are the sons of our deeds. – Novelist Miguel de Cervantes We have to laugh. Because laughter, we already know, is the first evidence of freedom. – Poet Rosario Castellanos Jackie Vuich-Leckie recalled when her daughter, Ohia, was diagnosed with 22q (also referred to as Velocardiofacial syndrome, VCFS, and/or DiGeorge syndrome) when she was just 17 months old. Her name, Hawaiian, is […]
BY JULIA PESCHETTI Mother Teresa once said, “We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” These words immediately bring to mind my little sister, Gianna, who has formed a bond with a young boy, Cameron, through their last year at Clarendon Elementary School—a bond which was highlighted for everyone in our family and the school during Gianna and Cameron’s 6th grade promotion. Cameron is a young boy who is […]
BY SARAH ROTH, MFA With the arrival of the holiday season, the landscape of public space changes. Lights are draped and blinking along the edges of neighborhood roofs. Wreaths are attached to doors and mailboxes. Backyards are speckled with inflatable snowmen and nativity dolls. Shopping malls hum with an added sociality. Families embrace and friends talk. Communities gather around tables, trees, and hearths. And our schedules change: schools let out, work hours shift, and we […]
PUZZLES & CAMO BY SHELLY HUHTANEN We need to create more dialogue about the entire spectrum. Not just about children who are high-functioning or happen to be savants. Remember the video of the teenage boy who surprised the entire nation with all of his three pointers in a local basketball high school game? It made the news and he even ended up writing a book. What a great feel good story. I’ve watched numerous videos […]
SIBLING TIES BY PAIGE TALHELM As Sammy’s older sister, I need to look out for him and make things better for him. My brother was diagnosed with a seizure disorder when he was a baby. He has been on anti-seizure medicine all of his life. When he was just about 13 years old, we tried to take him off of it but he had two Grand Mal seizures in a span of 12 hours. It […]
