We probably all remember the day that ADEM changed our lives, well 3 years ago today my son was diagnosed with ADEM. After weeks of struggling with flu-like symptoms that ultimately left my son in a coma-like state, the diagnosis of ADEM was a welcome relief - we had no idea what the future would hold, but finally we had a diagnosis and a treatment plan.
Now 3 years later my son is an active and healthy 6 year old. He's on the swim team, plays soccer and t-ball, finished kindergarten where he learned to read and write, and he's a wonderful big brother. I still get emotional when I think about those dark days (I suspect I always will) but days like today also make me appreciate how much we have to be grateful for, and how proud we are of our son. The struggle continues for us all - relatives, caregivers, patients - but we move forward and we persevere.
Today is also a special day because it's my wedding anniversary - talk about an anniversary present to find out your son has ADEM and may never be the same!! But in many ways being diagnosed with ADEM on our wedding anniversary made perfect sense. It was a reminder we were in this together with each other, and with our family and friends. So today I'm reminded of all those who helped our family during my sons recovery, without them I don't know what we would have done.
So on a day of two anniversaries, I plan to celebrate the future and to hold my family and friends a little closer.
