Joel = Breakthrough By Leaps & Bounds

The Joel during the 1st week of school was terribly lost and fearful. But even with his fear he was brave.

The Joel during the 2nd week of school was still lost and fearful. And he broke down somewhere during the middle of the week and had a panic attack which caused him nausea and difficulty in breathing.  The counsellors were called in and they had to remove him from the class and took him to the 'play room' where he could relax and calm down and get over his fears. These group of people are certified professionals. They connected with Joel and touched base with him a few times a day. In this way, he has people whom he can turn to while he is in school when I am not around.

The Joel during the 3rd week of school was ASTOUNDING! He overcame his fears. He became so at home at school. And bold too. His teachers and counsellors were amazed at his progress. My hubby took over sending him to school in the morning during the middle of 2nd week as I had become so exhausted that my sleep became even more interrupted during the night. I even fell asleep in the office while waiting for Joel to finish school.

At first Joel was very frightened on his own. I made a tiny card that stated 'Mommie and daddy loves Joel very much!' for him to carry in his shirt pocket. And one of his teachers suggested that we put our pictures at the back of his tag which he hangs around his neck so that he could look at us when he misses us and feel better. And then I started Whatsapp-ing him while they were stuck in the jam. And after the jam, either he would call me or I would call him and we would continue our conversation until he reaches school. I also gave him a tiny, little notebook which is placed inside his pencil box. I started a story and he would continue it when he arrives in school and then I would continue it at night and he would continue it the next day and so on and so forth.

Joel became confident and has been very at home in school. His teachers say that he enjoys school and has been participating well in his lessons and games. And he did something which I did not expect. I had signed him up for martial arts during school hours. He decided that he wanted to take part in the gymnast class as he wants to learn to walk on his hands and do stuff that a male gymnast does. He went to the teacher and told him he that he wanted to go to his class. And he did this ON HIS OWN! And when I asked him to why he did it. He said this, 'I wanted to try it out first. And if I do not like it at least I have tried. But after trying it out, I have decided that I LOVE the class very much and I will continue to be in this class.' Amazing. He is really a brave boy. And he insisted on staying back after school hours for extra swimming classes.

These 3 weeks have been a great stretch of faith for me. I drive about 300 kilometers a week! I don't think I travelled 300 kilometers in these 3 years since I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Anaphylaxis. I am exposed to all sorts of smells and chemicals at Joel's school. I have met wonderful teachers, people, parents and students. And I am in one piece. I am happy and peaceful. What's more to say? This year is going to be a truly amazing year.


2012 - A Year of Reinvention

A Challenging Day!

A Setback

A Day of Progress