Thankful

Thanksgiving has come and gone. One of the greatest things about this holiday is spending time with family and reflecting on all of the blessings in our lives. Last week Maddie came home from daycare with a list of things she is thankful for. Of course with Maddie being nonverbal, she got some help from the fantastic staff at her daycare. It got me thinking about the important things in Maddie’s life.

Maddie was able to see all of her cousins over the holiday weekend. Maddie loves to watch her cousins play. All of her cousins do so well around Maddie as well. Even if Maddie pulls hair, for the most part they are understanding. It’s amazing how children learn to adapt, probably better than adults do, with Maddie. They might not understand all of the challenges that Maddie faces, but making sure that Maddie is okay is a common focal point when they’re all playing together.

Then there’s the support from Maddie’s aunts and uncles. She truly has a loving base of support around her. From making sure that Nicole and I have everything that we need, to offering to take Maddie to therapy appointments, to sharing their expertise in their field of work. It’s nice to be surrounded with brothers and sisters that care so much for our little one.

Of course this blog wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for Maddie’s grandparents and great grandparents. Nicole’s mom loves to go by the moniker granny. Maddie loves playing with her granny, and Nicole and I were blessed to sneak away for a quick date over the Thanksgiving weekend. Maddie would tell you that her granny is a blast to be with, and her granny lets Maddie rule the roost.

Maddie loves to cuddle up with her Grandpa Birchmeier as well. I don’t know what it is, but all of Maddie’s tremors and motivation to move stop when Grandpa Birchmeier is holding her. Maddie tends to just melt right into his arms and a big smile comes across her face.

Then there’s one of the biggest influences in my life, Maddie’s Great Grandpa Birchmeier. Maddie’s middle namesake is for her Great Grandma Birchmeier who passed away years before Maddie was born. Her Great Grandpa Birchmeier, never fails to ask about Maddie. Whenever our family is in town, we make it a point to see him. Maddie’s Great Grandpa makes sure that he holds Maddie at least once per visit, and all of his attention is on our little Maddie.

We are so thankful for all of you that read this blog week in and week out. Your continued support of our family and all of the love that you show us, keeps our spirits high during the roughest of days. There’s so many people to name, I’m scared that I’d forget someone. I hope even though I haven’t named you specifically, you have made an impact on our family. Thank you so much.

Lastly, I want to highlight the Angelman Syndrome families that have come before us. They took this community from a paper published by Dr Harry Angelman in 1965, to the forefront of medical research and therapies in 2022. This wasn’t because someone had deep pockets, this wasn’t because this condition is so prevalent, it’s because they scratched, clawed, and fought for their children and loved ones. We thank you all and hopefully our family can add to the ground work you all have laid for us.

This year was our first Thanksgiving since Maddie’s diagnosis. When I heard the words Angelman Syndrome, I’m not sure I thought that we’d be thankful for so much. That’s been the greatest part of this journey, it continues to prove me wrong time and time again.

-Written by Adam Birchmeier