Volunteer

“I’ve been aware of what Waves, Inc. has been doing for individuals in our community for a long time. I love our community and the people here, so I wanted to be involved with an organization like Waves that is making such a positive impact on so many people. I have enjoyed getting to know the staff at Waves who are so passionate and committed to those they serve.”

“Interacting with the residents [of the Waves Adult Residential Program] was an enlightening experience that I will forever remember.”

The past few weeks have been so bittersweet! Yes, Jake turning three tomorrow is huge but for us it means even more! It means beginning another journey and saying goodbye to the past. When your child is given a diagnosis at birth it truly is an unexplainable experience that unless you’ve gone through it you will never understand. You have a whirlwind of emotions and unanswered questions of ‘what will happen?’

You will have friends and family tell you it’s going to be okay, don’t worry he’s going to be fine and they mean that and it’s so kind but deep down you think ‘you don’t know and you don’t understand’. You will worry that you will never figure things out or if you are doing the right things for your child.

They send an abundance of people to you to test your child and tell you what’s wrong with them and what they can or can’t do to help and it’s beyond stressful.

However, our story is a little different because we were lucky enough to have been blessed with Mrs. Gina.

She came into our lives and let us know that Jake would be fine and hit the milestones we were so worried about. She listened to me cry and ask a million questions about his future and she ever so patiently answered them and gave us a positive outlook each week.

You see, she is one of the trailblazers that I look up to because her adult son also has DS and is excelling in everything! She has gone through all of the emotions we were feeling and helped us realize that it was normal and that in time things would work out.

Words will never say enough about the love she has shown our family and especially Jake and now that Jake is turning three, we will have to say goodbye because our time is up and she will be with another family but I know she has him ready for his next adventure and I know that he will be fine and for that I am so very thankful.

(On a side note, when she left today I heard him say Gina for the first time)

Becoming a new mother is challenging enough on its own. Then when you start to worry about your child’s development due to milestone delays, it only becomes that much more challenging and stressful. I had no idea what to expect throughout the early stages of our journey with TEIS, but was very grateful for the additional support I received from Ashley through Waves. She helped me set achievable and realistic goals for my son throughout the process. She helped provide strategies for everything from getting our son to cruise when he wasn’t, tips for transitioning activities without a meltdown, bath time struggle suggestions and more. She even attended my meetings with the school system for the transition out of TEIS, which was helpful to have the additional support. Seeing how much my son has changed during the time he was offered services is something I do not take for granted. When Ashley first came to my home, my son was so scared of new people being in his space that she would have to sit on the other side of the room. By the time we transitioned out of developmental therapy, he was completely comfortable around her to the point of unlocking the front door and letting her in the house, high fives and all. Fortunately, through therapy, he now tolerates most new people with grace. The extra support of having someone I could discuss all-around developmental concerns and progress with on a consistent basis really has helped me gain confidence as a mother which will benefit my son for the rest of his life. I am forever grateful to the team behind my son’s development and am excited to continue to see him grow and flourish. Thank you for everything you do!