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Renae Bailey
Service Coordinator for
Kanawha, Clay & Jackson Counties
My name is Renae Bailey and I am
just one of the many wonderful Service Coordinators you can choose
from at Possibilities, LLC. Service Coordination is just one of
my many jobs. I am a daughter, sister, wife, friend and most importantly
a mother. I am a mother to two healthy beautiful daughters, ages
five and seven. My seven-year-old, Ashley, was born in November
of 1995 at twenty-seven weeks and weighed a whopping 2lbs. I will
never forget how scared I was when she was born and the thoughts
that ran through my head. I'm sure you have asked yourself some
of the same questions: "What did I do wrong?" "If
I had done this or that, maybe she would not have come into this
world so early." At the same time I was asking myself these
questions, I also realized my little girl was a fighter. In February
of '96 we were told that Ashley was blind.
So our journey began. Okay God, this is what you gave us and you
never make mistakes. "Where do we go from here?" Little
did I know things were already being set behind the scenes. Ashley
was referred to the West Virginia Birth to Three program. The
early intervention program really helped our daughter to excel.
It was definitely the key to Ashley's success today. Why you ask?
If is because receiving help and support early on can set the
stage for later in life. I feel that we all need support; some
more than others. Some people might not need it in the beginning,
but will find that later on they do and that is fine. I believe
wherever you are in you life is where you need to be. I also think
you can learn something from every person you meet. I may not
know exactly what you are going through in your life, but I will
try my best to understand. I think parents who have kids with
disabilities are a "special breed" and have a bond with
each other automatically. No one will ever know what it feels
like to have a stranger stare at your child and wonder why they
are the way they are. Only God knows why they were born this way.
If only those people could realize how much these children give
us. If only they could look at the whole child and not the things
that are missing.
These are the things that Ashley has taught me. Appreciate the
little things. Things are NOT always as easy as they may seem
and don't give up just because you don't get it right the first
time. TRY, TRY and TRY again. I would also have to say that we
as parents cry, cry and will cry again. I cry for my daughter's
loss of sight, but you cry for the loss of something else. I UNDERSTAND!
I hope that you come to realize that your child will make his/her
own way. He or she will have friends and they will learn, but
in their own way and at their own pace. You can still have dreams
for your child, just different ones. You will make it through
whatever problem you may be dealing with this week and may have
a new one to deal with now. I can say all of this now because
seven years later I can see that my daughter will be just fine.
She has made her own way and will continue to do so.
Do we still struggle and cry? Yes. Some days we cry more than
others. Are we stronger because of it all? I would have to say
definitely yes. Would I change anything? No, because I might not
have ever been able to meet you and offer you this encouragement.
Things will work out the way they should. I know this is hard
to believe now, but look me up in a couple of years and I bet
you will say the same things I am saying today. Is our journey
over? No. It has only just begun. Let's take this journey together.
"Life is either
a daring adventure or nothing at all." - Helen Keller
Contact me:
R.Bailey@Possibilitiesllc.com
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