2015 Apraxia Walk

This was our 4^th year joining the Apraxia Walk and Bryleigh’s last year as a superhero.  When our family started the apraxia journey 4 yrs ago, I did NOT think we would

a.     Get through it this quickly

b.    Meet amazing people during this journey

c.     Find an amazing group that has taught me so much

 Shortly after Bry was dx, I was worried about how she would progress.  My only example was our nephew Dallas.  He is now 21 yrs old and still has a speech impediment.  If he speaks too quickly, it’s hard to understand him.  I didn’t want this for Bryleigh!   I made sure to put her into intense therapy, she did 2 summers of speech camp and we constantly worked on speech at home. 
A cheer mom told me about NWO Apraxia Support shortly after Bry was dx.  We attended their second walk and I was grateful to the wonderful items she rec’d in her superhero bag!  Shortly after, I applied for & she rec’d an iPad from NWO Apraxia Support during their grant cycle.  She had a ton of speech apps and some games.  I worried she would only use it for fun.  Then one day, I walked into the family room and she was on the couch with one of the speech apps going.  It showed you how to use your mouth.  She was mimicking the person on the app.  My eyes immediately teared up! 
Her hard work paid off when she was released from speech shortly after her 5^th b/day!

About a year and a half ago, they amended their mission statement to include ‘invisible disabilities’ i.e. physical or mental challenge that is not always obvious to the onlooker, but can sometimes or always limit daily activities.  It can range from mild challenges to severe limitations and vary from person to person.  This includes, but is not limited to ADHD, anxiety, epilepsy, autism, Tourette syndrome, SPD, non-specific learning disabilities, dyslexia, CAS and other speech and language disorders. 

We applied for and rec’d a therapy grant for Cadence.  It was a huge help for her speech therapy at BG.  Woo! 

The 2014 walk was the first time Cadence was a superhero.  She thought it was pretty neat, except the part about going on stage to receive her medal.  She gets anxious about attention being on her, alone.  But she did it, so I was proud of her for that. 
This year’s walk was at the Toledo Zoo.  This was the first time the venue changed since it started 5 yrs ago.  It was amazing!!  The SWAT team came in, dressed as superheroes and repelled down one of the walk ways.  The kids loved it.  Their superhero bags were out of this world.  I was absolutely shocked when we went through them after getting home.  They were filled to the top with amazing items!

This baby penguin loved Bryleigh

My friends & I donated art supplies for this basket.  Funds raised were donated to Shared Lives Studio

Each child gets a superhero prize.  Cadence rec’d a watch that I can set up reminders.  So at different times during the day, it will vibrate and remind her to pay attention, at lunch it’s set up to remind her to wipe her face while eating.  Other reminders are to ‘take a breath’, ‘use manners’, ‘give a compliment’, ‘use fidget’, use ‘chew necklace, not shirt’.  It’s an amazing piece of equipment!  Bryleigh rec’d Tiggly.  She LOVES it!

After I worked the raffle ticket table, my mom, the girls & I walked around the zoo for a little bit.  We finally headed back for the raffle drawing for an iPad mini.

Cadence won!!!  She was soooo happy!  She could not wait to get home and play on it. It has been an amazing tool for her as well.  She has a vision therapy app, spelling word apps, reading comprehension apps…all in the form of games and she loves them. 

I will sing praises to NWO Apraxia whenever anyone will listen!  They are truly amazing.