Help Raising A Child With Special Needs

Thousands of Oklahoma families are raising children with special needs. Parents say it can be a very emotional and sometimes difficult experience. You can even begin to feel isolated, but you're not alone.

The Oklahoma Family Network helps parents who are raising a child with special medical or developmental needs. They do this by matching parents with another family who has raised a child with a similar condition.

Lora Roberts is the regional coordinator for The Oklahoma Family Network. She's also raising a son with special needs. Her son, Jeremy, is just like any other nine-year-old boy. He's loves to laugh and play and make new friends.

"He loves school. He loves other kids. He loves people. He's usually smiling unless he's just really, really sick, then he's cranky," said Lora Roberts with The Oklahoma Family Network.

Some days Jeremy doesn't feel well. That's because he was born with Hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is an abnormal buildup of the brain's normal water-like fluid (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF).

"You're forced to learn all this medical stuff. You're kind of thrown into a medical world that you don't want to be there. You just want to take your child home and have a typical life," said Roberts.

A shunt, or tube, in Jeremy's head makes life possible. It drains the brain fluid out of Jeremy's head and into his stomach.

Everyday has its own challenges.

"It's hard. He's behind. He could end up in the hospital. It's not something you ever just totally deal with, you just learn to accept it and keep moving forward," said Roberts.

By staying positive, Lora's able to bask in being a mother. She says Jeremy has completely changed her life. Lora's his voice and will continue to make sure Jeremy keeps that winning smile.

"He's made me realize how precious life is, what's really important. The love, the fact that he teaches me everyday perseverance, he's been through so much," Roberts said. "He's really helped strengthen my faith in God."