Let me preface this by stating that we are a success story. I have come to realize that things happen for a reason and sometimes, by luck and chance, you stumble upon something or someone who can offer you help. Not when you are looking but when you desperately need it, even when you don’t know it yet. You never realize how fortunate you truly are in the routine that is your everyday life because nothing extraordinary happens. I know that I may never win the lottery outright but both my husband and I feel that we are so very lucky to live in the state of Virginia and have the support of Moms In Motion.
My son, Christopher, is about to turn three and it hasn’t always been easy for me. His Down syndrome diagnosis was rough in the beginning—like not-picking-up-my-son-in-the-NICU-because-I-thought-he-would-never-do-anything-but-make-my-life-miserable rough. I remember saying to my best friend that I would never have another day of happiness in my entire life. And I was only 34—I had a lot of livin’ to do! It was a lot of crying and questioning of my faith but through the Exceptional Family Member Program coordinator at Fort Belvoir, I learned about the EDCD waiver and Moms In Motion. I applied for the benefits before Christopher was released from the hospital after a bout of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)—his third hospitalization in as many months. Christopher needed around the clock care due to feeding & heart issues, as well as recovery from the virus, so I asked my mother-in-law to relocate the Washington, D.C., to help. Without a moment’s hesitation, she quit her job and moved in with us. I filled out all of the necessary paperwork to get the EDCD waiver in place, and reached out to MOMs, but figured it would be months (or years!) before anyone got to our case.
I couldn’t have been more wrong!
Once we received approval, Moms In Motion staff traveled in the snow to get to us so that we could start services immediately—and I couldn’t have been more grateful. We had our services in place within 90 days of Christopher’s birth. I was able to help defray some of the burden for my amazing mother-in-law who voluntarily uprooted her life to care for Christopher so that my husband and I could continue providing for our family. Every member of your staff has been helpful, knowledgeable and willing to research the standard operating procedures to see if there was a means to get me help—from attendant care to mileage reimbursement for travel to his appointments.
Each member of Moms In Motion staff has a family too, and most (if not all) of your facilitators have children with special needs—in some cases more severe than the families that you serve—so I want to take a moment to commend you and everyone that works on your team. In my experience, MOMs has not been my facilitator’s only job so these gals have worked some pretty long hours to ensure that I received my services without fail. It’s not an easy task with the logistical nightmare that is D.C. traffic and the demanding schedules that we all keep.
You and your team have done an incredible job of supporting me when my broken heart could barely see what a precious gift I received in Christopher. When Christopher was born I was absolutely overwhelmed and had no idea what a wonderful community I was about to enter just because of the special needs of my son. As you can see by the photo of our family, we have plenty of joy—especially with Christopher’s siblings, both older and younger. It’s because of you and your staff that my family is successful because without these services, we would most certainly be struggling to have well-qualified care for our son. We have no concerns about that aspect of our lives and we can’t thank you enough for that.
Christopher excels at everything that he does and surprises me each and every day with his capabilities—it’s unbelievable what these children are able to accomplish when given the right tools! Thank you for everything, big and small, that you do for our families—you are helping us all to be the best versions of ourselves.
With Warm Regards,
Ms. Meredith R. Jors
(VERY!) PROUD Mom of Christopher J. Jors