We were blessed with a special needs daughter in 2007. I am not going to lie, life for her and my family has been anything but easy.  At the same time, it has been the most amazing journey of our life. We've watched an awesome kid defy every odd that has been thrown at her and flourish.     

On May 7, 2007, our lives changed when we were at a routine doctor's appointment. We heard the words no expectant parents should ever have to hear, "there is something wrong with your baby." This is the day that our story began. A story that we could have never imagined but would not trade even on our hardest days. Our daughter Sara Kate was diagnosed with Dandy-Walker and hydrocephalus before birth and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (seizures) as a baby. She has had many other diagnoses as she has gotten older. 

Sara Kate spends a significant portion of her life in the hospital and visiting specialists to manage her health. We have spent weeks and even months in the hospital. She has been in the hospital for every major holiday and celebration. For us, we would not have been able to navigate through the ups and downs of a chronically ill child without our family. When we say family, we do not just mean the traditional sense but we also include our hospital community, friends, and hometown. This family of ours has nurtured us, celebrated our successes no matter how small, and provided comfort to us during our hardest times. Little did we know how our journey as a family would be and how much richer we have become because of the people we have met along the way. We are eternally grateful for every member of our family. 

An important part of our family that brings joy and comfort to us is Happy Wheels. We look forward to Mondays when we are in the hospital because we will almost always be choosing a new book. Sara Kate enjoys a good book. It is sometimes the only activity that can settle her on a hard day. It is more than a new book or toy, it is joy, on quite possibly some of the hardest days a child can endure.

Happy Wheels has been such a blessing to our family with their weekly visits. We will be forever grateful for the love and kindness that Happy Wheels has shown my family over countless hospital stays. Please consider donating to Happy Wheels so that other families can experience the joy that Happy Wheels has brought to our family.