There are A LOT of things that Alex can’t do, but there’s SO MUCH that he can do. And some of those things are really important.
He can’t talk, read, or write, but he can communicate well enough to get his needs met.
He can’t drive or ride a 2 wheel bike, but he can ride his 3 wheel bike.
He can’t complete his basic hygiene tasks – showering, shaving, brushing his teeth, wiping himself, choosing weather appropriate clothes, but he can dress himself with supervision.
He can’t get himself up in the morning, but he can put himself to bed.
He can’t cook or choose healthy, balanced meals, but he can feed himself.
He can’t change his sheets, but he can straighten his covers each morning if we don’t use a top sheet.
He can’t handle his own money or make change, but he can hand it to the cashier if we give him the appropriate amount.
He can’t cross the street or walk his dog, but he can feed his dog if we monitor him to ensure that she only gets 2 scoops.
He can’t hold a job, but he can carry out simple, helpful tasks with prompting.He can’t understand and carry out complex commands but he can follow simple, broken-down commands.
He can’t be told an answer once and expect it to stick but he will let things go when we tell him that’s enough.He can’t control his emotions at a movie or a show – if he is excited and enjoying himself, everyone in a 10-seat radius is going to know from his squealing and clapping and jumping up if we don’t catch him in time…. And really, this kind of pure joy is just amazing. Just enjoy it when it happens.
He can’t understand that death is permanent but he does remember those who pass on.He can’t decide to go get ice cream, but he can ask us to take him.
He can’t ask a girl on a date or a friend to spend the night but he can participate in community and Wabash Center events and plays with his mom’s other kids and with his niece and nephews.
Alex knows when someone is hurt or sad and has compassion in abundance for others.
He knows when it’s Friday and will remind us that it’s time to go see his mom.
He knows his way around town and will let us know if we take an unexpected turn.
He can navigate his iPad and Kindle and gets to places on the internet (usually planes, trains, or cheerleaders) that we couldn’t begin to trace.
There is a lot Alex can’t do, but there is SO MUCH that he can do and it’s up to us to ensure that we adapt his world to fit his abilities so that his quality of life is the best that anyone could expect. Alex’s life isn’t less, it’s just different.
Thank you for joining us on this journey, Tim and Paige 💙
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