My Big Change and a Chance to Make a Difference

Well, my life is about to change in the most amazing way.  A way that I could have never predicted or imagined. After almost 2 rewarding years working at home with momstown as their online editor and working with the most incredible team of amazing women led by Ann-Marie Burton, I’m moving on to pursue an opportunity OUTSIDE of the home, during school hours, as the Program Coordinator at The Children’s Treatment Network of Simcoe York (CTN).  As the Family Resource Program Coordinator, I will have the privilege of researching, creating the strategy and working with parent advisors to implement a comprehensive peer mentor program to support parents of children who have multiple special needs. It’s a program that I whole-heartedly believe in and one that I would have appreciated as a special needs parent.  

Here’s my official announcement;

CTN, whose office is 5 minutes up the street, is a network that coordinates a “single plan of care” for kids requiring many different therapies and resources because of their complex needs.  The Network provides comprehensive, coordinated care and services to kids with complex physical, developmental and communications needs who live in Simcoe County or York Region.  I’m so happy to be working with so many women that I know and respect (like my friend Anchel who writes for Today’s Parent).

It’s where Zack and I went weekly for several of his therapies with speech pathologists, PT, OT, AVT, feeding specialists and dietitians. 

It’s a place where we could walk through the front doors and feel instantly connected to a community that shared our experience. 

It’s a place where our family has always been embraced and where I’ve always found great comfort after Zack’s death.   .  

It’s now a place I will go to every day to work for their families because now my passion to make a difference has truly been realized in this new role.  

Not only is the role so incredibly perfect for me, but there are also so many memories in the building that I will now call my office.

Some of my best memories of Zack are when he sat for the first time in their Snoozlen Sensory Room during AVT with his Speech Therapist, Michele.

 
Or when we would hang out in the state of the art gym where Zack walked the parallel bars during PT to get to Jayden, found his love for jumping on a trampoline and even pulled himself to standing to get Elmo.  All of these visits led to Zack learning to walk just before he died- getting the right therapy helped make that happen.
  

It was where Zack said “bababa” when he wanted more bubbles from Erin in the Speech Therapy rooms and would often have his lunch at that same table.  He even said “mama” in this video….can you see the impact that CTN has on families? 

Since Zackie was born, I have taken every opportunity to get more involved as a volunteer and even as an unofficial peer mentor at CTN. In 2010, I was thrilled to help plan and even cut the ribbon with Zack, Lisa, Sherry and Ashley at the CTN Information Fair for parents of children with multiple special needs and I’ve been serving on their Social Media Committee for two years, helping to grow engagement on their Facebook Page. 

 
My life is about to change and I’m excited to embrace all that this new challenging and rewarding job has to offer.  I’m eager to meet the families and find out what they need and then use my experience and skills to create a plan that helps get  them the support they deserve.  I’m inspired to start a new and different career path that will allow me to make a difference and feel fulfilled in ways that will remind me so much of life with my sweet Zack.  I’m truly blessed to have this opportunity.

I can’t help but think that an angel had a hand in making this happen.  Don’t you agree?