An Unfortunate Break

Special needs caregivers often struggle with finding adequate child care for their kids due to complex needs, limited support circles and/or limited training of providers.  Angela and Ryan*, caregivers to three AMAZING kiddos with developmental disabilities, are no stranger to that difficulty. In addition to disabilities, all three of their boys were adopted and have a complex trauma history.  Their stories are riddled with hard, but more than that, they are one incredible team that has grown, championed and overcome the odds!

Like many of us, these Pause parents have been with their kiddos 24 hours per day - 7 days per week for the past 9 months living in a worldwide pandemic.  For this family, it has meant the loss of critical school routines, academic intervention support, therapy, social practice and behavioral support resulting in regression of the milestones these kiddos work so hard for.  Still, this mama and papa attended every training, researched every resource and worked hard to fill the gaps brought on by Covid-19.  

In December, mom suffered a heartbreaking loss - the loss of her mother who also lived with her and whom she had spent the pandemic caring for. She faced a decision that most of us don’t have to think about - whether to stay home with her boys and miss her mother’s funeral or try to find someone qualified to stay with her kiddos. For most of us, this is an easy decision.  For this family, it was not.  Because of the CAN DO Network, she didn’t have to choose. Pause recruited four huge-hearted volunteers to provide emergency respite care allowing this Pause mom to attend the funeral and grieve the loss of her mother knowing her kiddos were safe and cared for. 

THIS is CAN DO.  This is community.  This is YOUR support.  (*names have been changed for privacy)