Melbytoast's photostream

Hi! I am Melisande and I have many facets. One of them is working fulltime as a medical social worker. I am also married to a wonderful man, Ben and we have a beautiful son, Donovan. We live in the Midwest, in a very rural area. Our son has some unique needs. He is diagnosed with Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome, without the PHOX2b mutation, autism, Chiari malformation 0 (zero) and cerebellar malformations. Basically, this means he has a variety of medical needs including a tracheostomy, a ventilator at night, intensive specialized ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) therapy, nursing care and therapies (Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Physical Therapy). In spite of Donovan's medical issues, he's a sweet, happy boy who doesn't know he's any different than any other child. My husband and I spend many of our waking hours advocating for all Donovan's needs because systems, even good ones, don't typically step up and do what is best for a child. Only his parents do that and we take great pride in making medically sound, envidence-based decisions about our son and his care. We have been extremely blessed by wonderful, caring professionals who treat Donovan as an individual, not as a number or a "case". Donovan is fast approaching "in the ballpark" of normal, which is more than we could ever dream.

We are also embarking on a new adventure with another baby, who is newly arrived in this world. Conrad is healthy and happy. His big brother is making adjustments, but will love him one day soon!

I am a very amateur photographer. I would love to be better, but having photos for memories is also important.