The Joy of JOYRide

Brandon & Annie

Yesterday, seizures.  Today, June 3, 2014 was to be his first day of Hippotherapy.  The technical term.  For me, it would be more a chance for him to be normal.  To do something most anyone can have the opportunity to do.  Ride a horse.  Something so many perhaps take for granted, yet something I've been trying to get him back in for a very long time.  Money issues, his health, opportunity, all have made it such a challenge.  Just trying to get to the initial evaluation required at some places, has proven impossible due to the penchant for seizures to not check my appointment schedule to see if it's convenient to have one that day or not.

But alas....  the day was finally fast approaching, and on cue, seizures hit the day before the beginning of the summer schedule.  His first class.  Yesterday for me could be summed up with the words, "Living between a rock and a heartache" in the sheer "bummed" factor of the seizures that would most certainly prevent today's riding.

They didn't.

Those three little letters I long to post, but do not for some ounce of grace I'd like to hold on to, silently scream inside my head.  I give a HOOYAH & HALLELUJAH to God instead.  Satan can choke on those other letters.

I can't begin to describe the Joy today of Brandon being up, sort of, but up enough for us to get there.  To get up on the horse.  To tolerate the horse, let alone the helmet.  I'll rejoice in that and have HOPEISM that the joy and smiles will soon be his, and not only mine.  I'll rejoice that he did get on the horse when I thought no way he would, not without an ugly fight.  It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't ugly.  Our steps forward in autism are sometimes measured in only that.  The degree of ugliness in new things, new sensations.  Today I'll rejoice even more in how he tolerated the helmet better than I thought, and for longer than I thought he would.  That was actually ugly in how he bit his hands and would have taken his head off if it meant not feeling the helmet!  He did manage to pry it off, but they all worked through it.  And got it back on.  So he could ride on.

That's what HOPEISM did today........

It defied autism -

And seizures --

And rode on.

Meet Annie.  Brandon's new best friend for the summer.  I love God's sense of humor.  They were telling me about Annie and how she has sensory issues.  She doesn't like anyone touching her.  Which works out great because Brandon didn't want to touch her!  She feels more relaxed when wearing the muzzle.  Her whole demeanor changed when they put it on.  She calmed down, relaxed.   Brandon & Annie will get along just fine...... 

Brandon petting a horse that liked to be stroked...

 

 

It's saddle up time!  May the force be with them!

 

 

 

 

Look ma!  No hands!

That didn't take long....
OFF WITH THE HELMET!
Ha ha ha...