Category Archives: Thankful
What a Difference 2 Years Make
Around this same time 2 years ago, Erica and I were preparing to go on our first “real” vacation since our marriage in June of 2012– we were going to Jamaica. The plane tickets were purchased, the resort was booked, the passports were a go, and the swimsuits were purchased. As excited and prepared as we were to finally vacation, not too many people shared the excitement with us. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our trip to Jamaica, causing us to lose our airfare, get reimbursed for resort, store the passports, and put away the swimsuits. It seemed like Erica and I would never get on a plane to vacation somewhere.
In July 2015, Maxwell had yet to turn 1 years old, his health wasn’t as stable as it is now, and quite frankly, our family didn’t feel comfortable babysitting Maxwell, with us being out of the country. I mean, we were just going to Jamaica, that’s not too far, they could handle it– right? Nope, they weren’t having it! Thus, we cancelled the trip and decided to vacate domestically. We went to New York City and Charlottesville, Va. It wasn’t the beaches of Jamaica, but we made the best of it.
Fast-forward to May 2017, Erica and I are now preparing to fly to Cuba, and we’re excited. Again, the plane tickets were purchased, the Airbnb’s were booked, the passports were a go, and the swimsuits were purchased. This go round, Maxwell is stable, he has nursing care during the day, and our family is more comfortable with his care. And off to Cuba we go!! All goes well!!
Fast-forward to June 2017, Erica and I are now headed to New Orleans, La and Houston, Tx. Again, we’re prepared and ready to go. This go round, Maxwell is still stable, he has nursing care and respite care, and more family is in town, ready to watch our son. And off we go!!! Thank God, all goes well again!!
Reflecting on these past 2 years, its been a long journey to get to this point, but we thank God for his continued care and blessings upon our son. Maxwell, is truly growing and progressing in life, and we have God to thank for this. We thank Maxwell, for being the resilient, super, mighty Max that he is, and for allowing his parents to get some much needed time away. We thank God for his nurses and the way they compassionately care for Max. Lastly, we’re grateful for Maxwell’s grandparents and Auntie, who rose to the occasion, and watched our baby-boy! We know its not easy and can be a lot of work, but we’re grateful for you!!!
Oh, and how can we forget you!!! Those of you reading this, liking this, and sharing this, we thank you for your prayers, love, and support!!
Stay Super, Stay Mighty, and Be Blessed!
Brandon
Share this:
Disability is Everywhere
It’s been exactly one year since Super Mighty Max was diagnosed with Spastic Quadrapelgic Cerebral Palsy. This diagnosis initially devastated us as we grieved that our son may not have a “normal” life and may not crawl, walk, talk, or live the life that we expected him to. But now a year later I can truly say that disability is everywhere and it’s truly a blessing.
This past weekend we successfully travelled out of town with Super Mighty Max the first time (we travelled longer than 3 hrs with him) this year, and ventured to DC to visit family. My father in love was able to get us tickets to the sold out online newly opened Smithsonian National African American Museum of History and Culture #naamhc (the museum is free by the way you just need tickets to get in).
So, we packed Super Mighty Max up and ventured out to DC to spend a few hours in the museum to show him our history, and to not limit sharing experiences with him. I snapped (@shareericaworld) the entire experience and it’s below.
During our time at the museum, I saw other families with kids with disabilities and other adults who were wheelchair bound. I love my people because they loved on my son like no other. They came up to him, smiled at him, held his hand, talked to him, asked about him and his age, and made me feel proud as his mom. They made me feel like Super Mighty Max’s disability is a blessing, that his little light just was shining bright, and his smile was ministering to others. He truly enjoyed being strolled around the museum and seeing the lights, music, and sound of people.
The NAAMHC is a must see in DC, I would recommend going during the week to avoid long lines and not being able to freely walk and see exhibits. Overall a positive experience for our family and up next on the family agenda is Disney on Ice!
Disability is everywhere around us and it definitely is a blessing no matter the ability of the individual!
Stay Super, Make Mighty Moves, and Be Blessed!
~Erica
supermightymax.com 