Photo credit: Fiona Jameson

NOTE:  Thank you to Joanna for allowing us to excerpt Cathy Jameson’s guest blog.  Featured on Holistically Whole, a website that covers topics such as autism, nutrition, and healthy living, you’ll recognize much of what Cathy shares in the story.  Even though many of our readers already know it well, we thought we that we, too, would share the story one more time.

One More Time:  The Story That Needs to Be Told

When I prepared to write this guest blog, similar emotions came over me that I had described in a piece I’d written a few years ago:

“I remember how overwhelming it was to be that mom. The mom who didn’t know. Who was afraid. The mom who had questions but hadn’t a clue where to look for answers. I also remembered something else: the emotions that come with the eventual discovery of Ronan’s vaccine injury. Sadness. Worry. Fear. Anger. Betrayal. Those emotions subsided but can surface on the bad days. They creep in during bad weeks, too. Those emotions came back last week and were strongest when I tried to tell Ronan’s story again.” – from Combatting Autism, 22 September 2013.

Ronan’s story.  I know it well. It isn’t always easy to tell it, but it’s time to tell it again…

Ronan was born right before Christmas in 2002. Welcomed by Fiona, an excited big sister, he had great APGAR scores at birth (8 and 9).  A cheerful baby, Ronan met his milestones and was interactive with family.  When our friends came to visit, he lit up the room when they greeted him. Everyone noted how happy Ronan was.  They also noticed how his chocolate brown eyes were full of life. I loved that just his presence alone made other people happy.

With two children under the age of two at home, I knew that I wouldn’t be returning to work anytime soon.  I’d left the teaching field right before my oldest was born.  I was happy with that decision and looked forward to play dates, visits to the neighborhood park, and making memories with my family.

We have plenty of memories, but some of them are not what you’d consider normal.

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To read the rest of One More Time, please follow the link to Holistically Whole.