The Power of Blue

I’ve never been the type of person who was motivated by symbols. It’s not that I didn’t care, and I never judged people who were encouraged by them. They just weren’t for me. As a more analytical person, I prefer directness. That is until this past week.

Last year I didn’t get too over zealous with International Angelman Syndrome Day. Madelynn had just been diagnosed a few months prior. I had started the blog, but I was still in a fog. I still had a lot of conflicting emotions that I had to sort out internally. I was also at the peak of my anxiety and panic attacks. I sat on the sidelines, wore my blue, but didn’t really find much solace in the day.

Fast forward to this year, and I decided to cautiously step out of my comfort zone. I decided that maybe I wouldn’t be a total recluse on February 15th. After all, I do share a lot of my feelings on the blog as well as the weekly podcast. So I decided to create a simple ask of my family, friends and coworkers. The ask was simple, please wear blue in honor of Maddie.

I shared this once on the podcast, once on the blog, and once on Facebook. I also asked my friends in my Tuesday networking group, and I asked my coworkers the day before. Then I sat back, with no expectation. After all, it was just a color I thought.

Then February 15th rolled around, and the text messages, e-mails, and selfies came pouring in. While we were at Maddie’s genetics appointment, I got a text from a coworker. They were wondering when I was coming into work, so the staff could all take a picture. I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to introduce my daughter to my work family.

All throughout the day I was surprised by the amount of people who thought of our family. They thought of our family, and put on their blue. It my seem like a small gesture, but it meant the world to me. We even got an e-mail from Maddie’s care team at Mary Free Bed. Her entire care team wore blue.

It was awesome to see in real time, the news stories that poured in from around the world. On one of the Angelman Facebook pages, someone kept a running tab. A perspective that I would love to share, is by Aaron Ferguson. His brother has Angleman Syndrome. He wrote an opinion piece in the Wisconsin State Journal. I have included a link here. Aaron and his family have ties here in Michigan, and plan on attending the walk in Ann Arbor.

This year International Angelman Syndrome Day took on a new meaning for me. I’ve explained before how lonely this parenting journey can feel. Seeing my friends, family, and coworkers all think of us and don their blue, was the boost that I never knew I needed. I’ll be sure to make sure that next year, we plan something a little bigger. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

-Written by Adam Birchmeier