Let me take you through the highlights of finding a new SLP, the first 5K I've done (to support apraxia of course), and the latest on insurance.
SLP search
My hunt for a new SLP for Charlie continued. We visited two lovely women who could have possibly worked for Charlie. But one only had evening appointments, and the other had just one day a week open. Clearly those doors were closed. Then, I thought I found the ONE for us...but that ended up not working out either. So last week, I kept saying my manta, 'if God leads you to it, He will lead you through it." My dad kept telling me something would happen at the walk. So I waited. And that's hard for me. More to come on this later.
Apraxia Walk with Charlie's Champs
On Saturday, we took a small caravan of "Charlie's Champs" over to Bachman Lake in Dallas for the Dallas 5K benefiting children like Charlie who struggle to speak. I'm very proud to say we all completed the 5K (yay Coco and Papa!!!!) with no issues. There was a slight detour to a Whataburger around mile 2, but this girl needed her tea. Thank goodness Debbie loves her diet Coke just as much. And Coco and Papa made a small purchase there too, so I was in good company.
Our friends and family ROCK!!!! Because of you, I was the highest individual fundraiser for the entire walk. Charlie's Champs raised almost $3,000 to support children with apraxia. I'm beyond touched by your generosity and love for our son. Thanks to the passion of my parents, we had some folks who don't even know Charlie sponsor us. When my dad called me about two of the donations, I cried. In today's world of ME ME ME, it's hard to fathom someone would give money to support a child they've never met and a cause they've never heard of.
So thank you Jason, Griffin and Carter; Coco and Papa; Becky, Conner and Sydney; Paulette, Carter and Kayla; and of course my Whataburger buddy Debbie for braving the heat and walking for Charlie's Champs!!! I love you all to the moon and beyond.
The thing my dad thought would happen at the walk finally did at the very end. I had a check donation that I needed to give to the walk organizers. As it happened, the person I found is the office administrator for a speech therapy group in Dallas that specializes, yes, I said specializes, in apraxia!! Everything she told me about the SLPs in her practice sounded just perfect. Down to the SLPs wanting and expecting parent participation and collaboration. You have to sign a paper saying you will do just that or you can be dismissed from therapy. I was ready to sign up right there. And if that's not enough, guess whose methods they use -- Nancy Kaufman's. I think I hit the trifecta on Saturday.
Because they are such a specialized clinic, they have a waiting list. We can't see them until November. Jason and I discussed it, and we feel this is the place Charlie is supposed to be at. I can't wait to schedule our first appointment. My dad was right. Something great happened at the walk:)
While we were in Dallas, I got to meet a mom from Arlington and her 2 1/2 year-old son who has apraxia. Stephanie and I have talked on the phone and texted back and forth for the last month, so it was great to meet her in person. Her son was recently diagnosed, so I hope I can be a blessing to her as she starts her apraxia journey.
Insurance
This will shock you I know. BCBS has denied all our speech claims yet again. They are just hopeless. It still drives me insane that we can't get any help to cover his therapy. And just wait until next month when we add occupational therapy to mix. Our bills will double overnight.
I'll blog soon about OT and the vital role in plays in helping kids like Charlie. I didn't understand it myself until we went Michigan this summer. And by the way, finding a quality OT is almost as challenging as finding a great SLP. But we have an appointment for an evaluation next week, so please pray the OT will be a good fit for Charlie.
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