Gabe's Story

Our son Gabe came into this world with a quiet strong will. I use the word Quiet because the first two years of his life he was silent. Gabe could laugh and cry BUT other than that he never made a sound. Don't get me wrong he was a great baby never fussed, slept through the night, breast-fed like a champ, and was happy!! It never even hit me until it was time for him to physically move. He never rolled over or sat up on his own unless I helped him.

My mom being a nurse was worried and voiced concern. I worked on him for a month and finally got him to sit up on his own at 9 months. He sat up for another 4 months BUT never attempted to move any other way. On his first birthday I watched him learn to scoot on his bum positioning his entire body and using only his left hand to reach a balloon. I was so happy he was moving only to realize 3 months later at his first evaluation he was low toned and would need to start physical therapy.

After the first evaluation Jordan and I were shocked at what we heard and were sent on to a pediatric specialist to rule out possible genetic syndromes.

Within the first 10 minutes of the exam Dr. Sampson-Fang told me she was not worried about his lack of movement that he will get there with therapy BUT she looked right at me and said "Does Gabriel talk?" "Has he ever babbled?" It hit me like a ton of bricks my son doesn't speak! How as his mother did I not notice he never cooed or babbled. He never mimicked back an utterance. Had I been so busy not to pay attention to the milestones Gabe should have been hitting. I felt like such a failure. That is when I heard the term Apraxia for the first time.

Three months later , tubes in his ears , glasses on his face and his strong will Gabe took his first step. His voice came much later.

Gabe is now 4.5 years old and has been going to speech therapy twice a week for 2 years. He has a component of childhood speech apraxia and auditory processing disorder. Gabe physically fought to take his first step and has to fight even harder to FIND HIS VOICE. When I hear him say anything it takes my breath away because it truly is a miracle. How we all take for granted how easy it is to speak. Speech therapy with Maria has been the key to unlocking Gabe's voice with that being said its also very expensive .

Jordan and I have tried to come up with numerous ways to fund raise and that is why we are changing our blog. This coming spring we will be having an annual garage sale and we will be hosting a 5K to raise money to help with the cost of therapy and schooling. In the meantime if there is anything anyone would like to donate I will be selling items on KSL and Ebay. This blog will keep everyone updated on any new information.We feel so grateful and blessed for all the support we have received and want you all to know we love you! One day Gabe can look back and say THANK YOU !

Thanks for helping me find my voice!!

Thanks for helping me find my voice!!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Half Marathon on the way!

After doing some research instead of doing our own race we have decided to jump into an established race that we can help sponsor. The race is called "Legacy Midnight Run"... it will have a 5k, 10k, and half marathon. Since I competed in my first Triathlon I have more or less said I have no interest in competing in long distance running like a marathon and will stick to the three sports that a Triathlon would offer. However with this race being for Gabey I have no choice but to step up to the big dog and do the half marathon.

We need to find 25 people to volunteer cheering people on, passing out food and helping clean up etc. We also are looking for anyone that would like to train and run this race with us. Hollie is going to run the 5k so any portion of the race you would like to run we would love to see you there.

This helps bring more motivation and inspiration to our healthy living and training. Thinking about running for this purpose makes us work harder. Our family will continue to come together for the greater cause and help him find his voice! Lets run for Gabey!

http://www.legacymidnightrun.com/

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