For Children with Special Needs, Telehealth Visits Are Here to Stay My son Charlie was born with a rare genetic condition which increases his chances of developing certain cancers in the kidneys and liver. For the early years of his life, he was required to get ultrasounds every three months and blood draws every six… Continue reading Telehealth Visits Are Here to Stay

Sustaining a spinal cord injury as a young, professional athlete took my identity away from me. My grandfather would call me “grasshopper” because I was always moving around – on my feet, in the air, on a surfboard, skateboard or motorcycle. In 1999, I broke my neck at C-4,5,6 and the way I had navigated… Continue reading Getting Competitive: Sports & Spinal Cord Injury

When we are faced with news or experience of loss, whether physical or perceived, we respond with shock and disbelief. We then experience all of the emotions that flood us while we are trying to accept a reality that we did not want. As parents, when our child or children are diagnosed with a medical… Continue reading Unexpected Diagnoses: Grieving the Loss of What You Thought Your Life Would Be

Amidst our nation’s aging infrastructure and antiquated stigmas, there seems to be a groundswell of passionate entrepreneurs, engineers, universal designers and agents of social change focused on destigmatizing disability and disrupting the status quo while redefining and redesigning a radically inclusive world. As friend of mine, and radical change maker, Riley Poor, says: “Radically Included… Continue reading What Does it Mean to be Radically Included?

Learning To Roll With It I have said it before, but the fact still holds true, my spinal cord injury takes a back seat to the lady of the house— my thirteen-month-old daughter, Cayla Mae. My once fearful outlook on parenthood has long since evaporated, now replaced by the pragmatic question of “How do I… Continue reading Parenting With A Spinal Cord Injury

Let’s Hope Pottery Barn’s New Accessible Line is a Trend that Becomes the Norm I thought I knew what it meant to make my home accessibility-friendly by the time my son Charlie received his first wheelchair. We ripped up carpet and replaced it with durable wood floors. We installed a lift in our garage. We… Continue reading Pottery Barn’s New Accessible Line

My Teen with Special Needs/Disability is Interested in Dating Teens are teens, regardless of special needs/disability or not. Puberty hits, sparks start flying and we, as parents, have no idea how to handle this new phase in your adolescent’s life.  Within the special needs community, there is controversy as to whether dating is a good… Continue reading Teen Dating for Adolescents with Disabilities

Nearly 100 Products Deemed Unsafe In Expanded Recall On July 28, 2022, food supplier Lyons Magnus announced a voluntary recall of 53 beverage products, due to potential bacterial contamination. After further consultation with the FDA, Lyons Magnus expanded its voluntary recall on August 10, 2022, to encompass products distributed beginning in April 2021, expanding the… Continue reading Lyons Magnus Plant Expands Product Recall, Including Kate Farms and PediaSure

El 28 de julio de 2022, la planta de fabricación de Lyons Magnus ("Lyons") anunció el retiro del mercado de 53 productos de bebidas, incluidos cinco lotes del producto Pediatric Standard 1.2 Vanilla de Kate Farms.

What a Difference a Decade Makes Ten years ago, our new family of three went on our first beach vacation. Like most Tennesseans, we hit I-65 and headed south and did not stop until we hit the ocean somewhere along the Florida coast. But unlike most Tennesseans, we had a seven-month-old son, Charlie, who was… Continue reading The Difference a Decade Makes