The Need for a Supportive Community
When life throws a curveball, most of us can name a handful of people we can count on to help out - close friends, family, neighbors or co-workers. Special needs caregivers often have small social circles because relationships take time and time can be hard to come by when you spend 30-80 extra hours a week in care alone of a child with extra needs.
Kelsey, a single Pause mama, is no different. She has 4 AMAZING smart and talented kiddos with different degrees of complex disabilities. A college graduate with future dreams of advocating for families like her own, Kelsey’s current job is focused on helping her children get the support and therapies they need to be independent young adults one day. This leaves her day full of appointments, therapies, IEP meetings and training to make forward progress. Her “circles” right now are the professionals supporting her plan to get there.
This past summer, Kelsey was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. As a single mom, she was faced with planning for who could care for her kids and their complex needs if she couldn’t. The gravity and heaviness of that is something most of us don’t have to think through. The needs of her children always came before her own, so navigating how to make that shift didn’t come without barriers. While her circle of professionals were helpful, they also clocked out at 5:00pm.
In collaboration with the amazing CAN DO tribe, Kelsey’s need was met. Pause paired her kids with a local family willing to step into the gap. Together, they played fun games and created crafts while Kelsey attended doctor appointments. Not only did this cover the tangible need of childcare, but also created a volunteer opportunity for one of Kelsey’s teen daughters. The CAN DO mom supervised the group from a distance, but this teen suddenly had purpose, fun and another safe adult around during the uncertainty their family was facing.
Through these experiences, Kelsey had the peace of mind to focus on her health for a few hours at a time. Since that day, CAN DO members have also stepped up to provide support and rides to medical appointments and surgeries. They have delivered dinner and even provided a rockstar volunteer to stay with the kids while mom continued to attend parent classes to learn how to navigate her family through these waters. Through all of this, Kelsey’s goals never changed and in some ways she was even more determined to meet them.
The CAN DO Directory is so diverse in the ways it provides support - because sometimes life doesn’t fit into a neat box. I mean, don’t we all need people, community and friends to call?
With the help of CAN DO, this mom has more people to call on in times of crisis. She has more resources and tools to aid her special needs journey. She has a community and a support system that understands her family’s needs.
THIS is CAN DO. This is community. This is YOUR support.
