Staying Positive
The past few weeks have been very eventful for Cooper. He went through what had seemed as a regression period. Cooper has not had many good nights of sleep over the last month. He has been very restless and not able to relax much at all. It is these times that test our faith. His doctor in New York warned us that this may happen and this is part of the detoxification process his little body is going through.
Lately Cooper has turned the corner in a lot of areas. His language is increasing, he is going through programs at school very quickly, and he is starting to interact with other kids, he has never done that before.
Everyday in Coopers 1 on 1 therapy his teachers let him work for something, for example if follows instructions, he can choose a reward, like going down the slide or getting a cookie. Today his teacher asked him what he wanted to work for and he said “ Jeramiah” which is another kid at his school. He typically names a toy or the play ground. He walked up to Jerimiah and independently pulled his chair up and placed it right in front of Jerimiah so they could play. When we heard this, this ranked up there with the first time he said our name and other huge things. He is finally wanting to be around other kids. Last summer we could not even bring Cooper around any other kids, because he could not handle it. I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to see your son wanting to play and interact with other kids, considering he has been trapped in his own little world for so long.
We know of kids whom have completely beaten Autism, you do not here these stories very often, but it can happen. Our Doctor in NY has a son that was diagnosed with Autism and now he is 13 years old and he is not autistic, he is in a public school making above average grades and has multiple friends like a normal 13 year old. We want a full recovery for Cooper, like all parents would for there kids, the difference is, we are not naive, we understand the odds, but we have decided to shoot for the moon. We have been told by numerous people that that will not happen and Coop will always be autistic. I can’t blame people for thinking that way, but we choose to think differently and have faith in what we are doing and what God is doing in our lives. We choose to block out the negative comments and negative attitudes. We all have enough obstacles to overcome in so many areas of our lives. Being positive and having faith that you will overcome these obstacles with the help of God is the kind of attitude we should have.
Yesterday morning Brittney went over to Coop and asked him for a hug. He gave her one, which he always does when you ask him to but this time after he hugged her he paused a moment like he was thinking “ok what do I do next” then he reached over and kissed her on the cheek, Brittney started to cry for this was the first time he has kissed her on his own without being prompted. This was the push we needed to keep fighting this battle. We both look forward to the day that Cooper tells us he loves us without being prompted, but Brittney says until then she will proudly hang on to the kiss he gave her. My wife is amazing, she thinks about Cooper all day everyday thinking of ways we can help him, she says she has dreams of us taking Cooper back to his psychologist and them reversing his diagnosis.
I’m sure everyone reading this has obstacles in front of them, some small and some the odds may be stacked against you. I can tell you first hand that God doesn’t care about the odds. If you have faith in him and stay positive and believe, don’t be surprised when you overcome those obstacles. God says ask and it will be given, and seek and we will find.
Thanks to you all for your thoughts, prayers and gifts. You all continue to amaze us with your genuine care for our family.
Tim, Brittney, Coop, Christian
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