As wonderful as October was, I was so happy to have it over. I wanted to hide under a rock and attempt to process all of the ups and downs, makes some notes on what I learned and spend extra time with my family. So you can imagine my surprise when on November 1st a friend sent me a picture of the cover of a local paper with our picture on the front. With everything else going I had forgotten about the story I wrote for the Nov. issue of Growing Up in Santa Cruz that focused on special needs. Being that I typically live under a rock, I had no idea how widely distributed this was and how many people would read my story. It was an  honor to have somebody share their platform with me. I got chills thinking of who might read the story, the awareness that spread followed by a sense of vulnerability as I really couldn’t remember what I had written, what thoughts was I sharing with those that know me. If you would like to read it you can click here.

The following Monday we had our final event for Rettland this year, a fundraiser at my favorite brewery. A portion of the beer sales were donated, people took our Not Speaking challenge and it was a really lovely time. I hate fundraising but this was a great time. It was more like sharing what we are doing than begging for money, which I am incredibly grateful for.

As great as all of it was, it wasn’t hiding under a rock like I had prepared myself for. Two days later another event crept up on me. With 2 weeks notice, Jared and I decided to renew our vows before we left town to celebrate our 15 year anniversary. Shortly after Claire was diagnosed, I really didn’t think we would see another anniversary. It took years but we came through and we are freaking proud of it. To celebrate we got new rings, we made new promises and we went to Disneyland. It was a surreal few days full of ups and downs. The high I felt out on the cliffs and we said our vows surrounded by people we know and love, the low when everything went wrong at Disneyland and Claire’s seizures robbed us of her sparkling eyes and bright smile to the high when she came back stronger, laughing louder and ready to have some fun. It really is more than I can express so I will share a few pictures in an attempt to explain the days. Disneyland was magical on so many levels and still every bit of an adventure. As we prepared to come home I heard that some very big news was coming, Neuren pharmaceuticals would be releasing results from the phase 2 NNZ-2566 for Rett syndrome that Rettland Foundation had helped families get to. We got home late and woke up tired. It was just a few hours and again I was completely overcome with emotion. I couldn’t believe the words I read on my screen, “It opens not only the possibility of successful treatment of adults with Rett syndrome, but also of early interventions modifying the course of the disease.” and “exceeded the pre-specified criteria for improvement in core efficacy measures compared with placebo” It was like a dream coming true. Literally, I had dreamed of a day when there was something know to treat Rett syndrome and then on November 11th data appeared to say that might happen. I couldn’t feel my legs, I messaged with families I knew had been in the trial, with friends that had helped me make it easier for them, the world had changed and I got to be a small part of the process. I urge you to read it for yourself here.

It all reminded me of why I started blogging. When we got the phone call and found out that Claire had Rett syndrome I googled it and it wasn’t good. There were no stories of families living, there were no medical interventions, there was little hope. As we got connected with Katie’s Clinic and found that life was possible I wanted to share our story and the message that life with rett is possible. I share our victories, our anniversary and our vacation because I want you to know that you can. You can get out there and adventure across Rettland. We have to keep living because treatment is coming, faster than I once thought. When the treatment comes we want to be able to have our same wonderful life, only a little easier because Claire can better be part of it.