On an airplane, they tell you to put your own oxygen mask on first before your child. This is such an odd concept, because any parent wants to place the care of their child ahead of their own! When given the devastating news of Grace's diagnosis, I learned quickly that I need to fight hard to take care of myself so I can be strong and yes, even happy - for the rest of my life. This way I could be the best possible parent for my children! I remember watching the movie "Lorenzo's Oil" - the mother fell apart. I couldn't stand that! In real life, she actually passed away before Lorenzo did! I have learned that stress must be micro-managed and a spiritual view must be taken to rise to this type of extreme challenge. The mind, body, and spirit need to be nurtured and tended to regularly. My personal practice; which includes exercise, yoga, bodywork and mindfulness has brought great blessings into my life. This focus, along with inspiration and help from my children, enabled me to create the "I Can Do It! with Grace" series of Whole-Child Educational/Wellness Games. These games are now being used as home/school/community collaborative programs and are having a powerful, positive effect on thousands of children!!
Grace is not the only one with a disease - unfortunately many of our children are getting sick and sadly, many will die before their time. Obesity, depression, suicide, and drug/alcohol abuse are all rampant in our schools today. These are things that can be avoided if we are proactive. Children must have the tools they need to own their daily self-care/self-love habits at a very young age and these efforts must be positively reinforced by their parents, teachers, peers, and communities. We're talking a major team effort here!! (The games work as a tool, making the process fun and easy). This effort is well worth it because it provides them with a solid foundation that can help to influence their decisions as they grow. When something needs to be fixed, behavioral change is the best way to go about it. There is certainly no magic “pill.”
It is my hope that the lessons I have learned from Grace's special life will help to inspire healing in other children's lives. I may or may not be able to save my child... but it is my hope that I can make some "ripples" towards helping others to save theirs.
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The "I Can Do It! with Grace" games were inspired by Grace who has significant learning disabilities due to her condition. Grace does not speak and cannot do simple things that most people take for granted. When she learns something new it only comes with a great deal of focus, repetition, consistency and creative integrative/multi-sensory teaching techniques. By watching amazing and talented teachers work with Grace, I realized that all children can benefit from this type of behavioral method. My other daughter Julia and I worked together and discovered that when "played" as a game, there is nothing better for teaching, inspiring and motivating kids of all ages.
Visit us at www.graceyourschool.com to see the impact Grace's life is having on other children!!
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