Raising A Child With Special Needs

This is Courtney!

The Courtney Blog is being published to tell our story about raising a child with Special Needs.  As I am sure many parents can relate to, our story began when we received the devastating news from our doctor… “Your daughter Courtney has cerebral palsy.”  That was over 18 years ago, and our family has gone through many trials, joys, tears, and laughter since that day.  Our hopes are that by sharing our story we can help lend support to parents of children with disabilities, not only cerebral palsy but other disabilities as well.  As parents of children of autism and Asperger Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Angelman’s and intellectual disabilities, we are all in this together.  Our stories are all so very similar, and this forum will be a natural link for support.

What is Cerebral Palsy (CP)?

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a physical condition that affects movement.

It is caused by damage to the developing brain, usually before birth. There is no cure for cerebral palsy and for most, the cause is unknown.  It is estimated each year 10,000 babies born in the United States will develop cerebral palsy.  Roughly 500,000 children and adults of all ages in the United States have this condition.

Treatment can often improve a child’s capabilities.  Many children go on to enjoy near-normal adult lives if their disabilities are properly managed.  In general, the earlier the treatment begins, the better chance children have of overcoming developmental disabilities or learning new ways to accomplish the tasks that challenge them.

Support For Special Needs Children

I really see this site as our greatest opportunity to raise awareness about and to advocate for research for the treatment of developmental diseases.  Through education, information, research, advocacy and support for individuals and their families that face the challenge of raising a child with Special Needs, we hope we can help as many people as possible.  Hopefully, our experience can show how a child can still experience a great quality of life, even if they are diagnosed with an intellectual disability.

About Us

This is a story about the family of Pat and Barb Cyr from Millinocket, Maine.  We have been married since 1986 and have three great kids… Erin, Stacy and Courtney.  We are a very normal family with an extraordinary story to tell… about raising a daughter with Special Needs in rural Maine.

As parents we try to do our best for all of our children and help them throughout their lives.  No matter what their weaknesses, strengths, disabilities or talents, we want to allow all of our kids the opportunity to grow up and fulfill all of their dreams.

On this site you will find resources that you can visit, stories that we would love for you to read, comment on and share.  If you would like to contribute your story or a link to your blog… just email a request and we will take care of it.  Thank you for visiting our site.

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