My name is Lubna. I am a service coordinator and the mother of a child who has gone through the Early Intervention (EI) Program. Part of my current role with EI is to offer support and hope to parents, and because of that, I am willing to share my story.
My son was born at 24 weeks, weighing 1 pound 3 ounces. As all first-time moms do, I faced a challenging road, which was made all the more difficult because my son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. I never imagined how hard it could be to have a child with a developmental delay, but eventually I found blessings in disguise because my beloved son has shown me a different way of life than I had planned. Over time, I have let go of old dreams of a “perfect life” and have discovered wonderful new dreams. I am constantly amazed at the talents and skills that my child surprises me with.
We have been blessed with a good team of health care providers, therapists, and an EI service coordinator. During our 3 years in EI, all of the people on our team offered their support and knowledge, helping me to deal with the hard times. My son is 8 years old now and has moved so far from where he started, making significant progress as he has grown. We are still working with him to support his skills as he develops, and (as we learned in EI) we continue to implement his therapy into the ordinary parts of our day. With the support of family and friends, what once seemed an impossible experience has turned into a much easier road, and I have hope as I watch my child develop into a joyful, loving person. I would be happy to speak with any parent in our program, and I can also communicate with Arabic- and Spanish-speaking families. I am glad my experience can be helpful to other parents.