I want to share a promise I made to my son Adrian-and how technology and support from organizations like Possabilities help me keep it.
Years ago, I went on a first date with a nurse. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, I finally got up the nerve to drop a bombshell: “I drive a minivan.” I had one vehicle, and it needed to fit my son’s wheelchair. I was a single dad, raising a three-year-old with complex disabilities completely on my own.
Adrian is a great kid. He loves football and sports, but he was born at 28 weeks, weighing just 2 pounds, 9 ounces on August 13, 2008. His twin brother Blaise passed away the day after Christmas that year. Adrian has cerebral palsy and global developmental delays. He can’t walk or talk and needs total care-for life.
Every night, I’d rock him to sleep, tell him what we’d do the next day, and say, “I promise to take care of you, as long as I can.”
That promise still drives me. Fast forward. That nurse is now my wife and we have two more children. As they grow, they become more independent, while Adrian’s needs only increase. His “care intensity” never decreases. Agencies that support families like mine are understaffed-we waited two years for help.
So, I started engineering care myself, using affordable tools from the “Internet of Things.” A $30 sensor tells me if Adrian is too hot or cold and can trigger a heater. A $60 camera with motion and infrared lets us monitor sleep and seizures. I can cue lights, music and cartoons in the morning to create a calming sensory environment-all from my phone.
Adrian also uses a Tobii Dynavox-an eye-gaze device that helps him turn on lights, adjust temperature, even “speak” and engage online. It’s amazing.
But families like mine can’t do this alone. That’s why agencies like Possabilities-and their new Achievement Hub-matter so much. Imagine if families had one place to access support, share innovations, advocate, and find caregivers.
Let’s be honest: Adrian will never go to college, marry, or work. He will always need more care than he can ever give back.
So why should you care?
Because the dignity of every human life matters. How we care for the most vulnerable defines us.
As for me, the answer is simple: love. I made a promise.
I made a promise to my son: I will always take care of you. Possabilities helps me keep that promise.
