Who I Am..
Tracy Perdue
Mother of Twin Exceptional Daughters
You might be asking..."What do you know?"..."What makes you any kind of expert?"Well, first let me say that I am, in fact, not an expert on disability. However, my whole world changed with the birth of my twin daughters.
At only 28 weeks gestation my daughters were born. Twelve weeks premature and medically fragile. One of my twins weighed in at a measly 1lbs 11oz, and the other weighed 2lbs 8oz. The smallest child was born with no breath sounds and no heartbeat. She suffered a Grade 4 brain hemorrhage. She has Spastic Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus with a VP shunt, she does not take anything in orally, she can not stand or walk. The other child seemed normal at first, but now shows marked delays in speech and physical development. I know.....its a lot.
Before I was a working mom of two with a very standard existence. I got out everyday to go to work, did the shopping and helped with homework, did the laundry...etc. Now, with the level of disability one of the children has to deal with, I have to stay home to take care of her as she requires 24 hour care.
I have had extensive experience dealing with Doctors, Nurses, Therapist, Labs, equipment providers, Social Workers and well meaning people. I have had the experience of not knowing what was next. I have also had the experience of feeling overwhelmed. Not only did the exceptional children need me, the other two children needed me too.
Throughout this journey it became clear and apparent to me that there was no real information or support for typical everyday problems. And if there was any, it was short lived. I needed someone to show me the way. But I never found that person.
It is my wish to be that person for you. I may not have all the answers, but, perhaps I can put you on the right path.
Click here to read my Mission.
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