Rising Above with Becky Davidson

We know you will love hearing from our friend, Tracey Martin. Tracey is the mom of FIVE children, four of whom are quadruplets! She has been married to her husband Mike, a doctor, for 32 years, but she is honest that it hasn't always been easy. They have dealt with many challenges on staying connected, especially as they have raised two children on the autism spectrum. Their son, Gabe, has profound autism and is non-verbal and their son, Sam, has Aspergers (high functioning autism).

Favorite Quotes

"[On marriage] It hasn't all been roses and sweetness. It's been very hard, but we just cling on to each other and cling on to God to get us through." -Tracey

"You decide…make your own decisions…you're the Mother…and that child is your gift." -Tracey 

"Don't get on the autism or special needs bandwagon…if so and so is doing it, I need to do it." -Tracey

Related Links

Marriage Cruise

By the Brook Moms Retreat

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

In this episode, we talk to a special friend of Rising Above Ministries, Heidi Clopton. As you’ll hear, Heidi was Jon Alex’s first occupational therapist and was there for the very beginning of Rising Above! You will also hear which annual event was Heidi’s idea. We are thankful for the many ways Heidi has blessed the ministry over the years, and we know you will love hearing from her today!

Favorite Quotes:

"The best thing you can do is find out if there is something that can help them... The most important thing though is to get answers and I feel like you don't need to stay in that place of, 'is there something wrong or not?'" -Heidi

"Get an evaluation. A lot of people think they have to have a diagnosis first, but they don't." -Heidi

"You need the team approach. That is so important." -Heidi

"Therapy happens everyday...and be fun! And be something you enjoy doing with your child." -Heidi

Related Links:

Center of Development Pediatric Therapies http://www.developmental-delay.com/

“Common Man, Extraordinary Call” book by Jeff Davidson with Becky Davidson

In this episode, we talk to Wally & Lisa Bryan, parents of a son with fragile X syndrome about their struggles through getting a diagnosis, adjusting to a routine, and finding community. We hope you will be blessed by their story!

Favorite Quotes:

 "Our faith wouldn't be where it is now had God not given us Matthew." -Wally

"God teaches us everyday through Matthew and still does." -Wally

"Nobody brings more glory to God [in our circle] than Matthew does." - Wally

Related Links:

National Fragile X Foundation www.fragilex.org 

Extra Special People https://extraspecialpeople.com/

SouthEast Gwinnett CoOperative Ministry https://www.segwinnettcoop.org/

Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett www.specialneedsschools.org/

In this episode, we talk to two moms who "get it" that the holidays can be a difficult time for special needs parents. You'll hear personal experiences of everything from relative gatherings to family photos. If you're a special needs parent, we hope you'll hear that it's okay to make hard decisions for your family with your special needs child in mind. If you're a relative or friend of a family with special needs, look for opportunities to show grace this holiday season. 

Favorite quotes

Mary Susan is the host of the popular Mama Bear Podcast- a space she created for fellow women raising kids with special needs. She is married to singer/songwriter Sean McConnell and is the mother to their 8 year old Ghanaian beauty, Abiella. As a former middle school teacher, she has her Master's in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment and her Doctorate in Special Education. In her spare time she likes to work in her pottery studio, stalk the Carter Family on Instagram, and dance like everybody's watching.

Favorite Quotes:

"Women are still the women they were before this chapter of their lives." -Mary Susan

"The other thing I've seen [among women interviewed] is the need for community." -Mary Susan

"Find community as fast as possible. It's worth every ounce of energy it's gonna take." -Mary Susan

Links Mentioned:

By the Brook "This Is My Story" downloadable retreat

Parenting Team article 

Find Mary Susan:

Mama Bear Podcast

www.marysusanmcconnell.com

FB @marysusanmcconnell

IG @marysusanmcconnell 

Sandra Peoples is a special-needs mom and sibling. She's the author of Unexpected Blessings: The Joys and Possibilities of Life in a Special-Needs Family. Her husband is a pastor and she serves as the special needs ministry director at their church outside of Houston, Texas. Join us as we talk to Sandra about her journey and how it gives her great insight into how to remember the siblings of our children with special needs.

Favorite Quotes:

Creating a safe place outside of the family for our kids to be themselves and talk… - Sandra

I take things in seasons... - Sandra

I say no to a lot of things... - Sandra

Only do what only you can do. - Becky

You can't always say yes [to your typical child], but you can say "let's make a plan for later." - Sandra

**Be sure to listen for Sandra's ONE THING: encouragement that she would give a sibling of a child with special needs.

Find more from Sandra Peoples:

www.sandrapeoples.com

Twitter - @sandrapeoples

Instagram - @sandrapeoples

Facebook group- Self-care for the Special Needs Mom

Books:

Unexpected Blessings

Held

Speechless

In this episode, we talk to our friend Dawn Fry, an attorney, about conservatorships. We discuss the step-by-step process of setting up conservatorships and special needs trusts and the importance of thinking through this process before special needs children turn 18. We hope you will enjoy this practical episode with so much helpful information for parents raising children with special needs.

Check out these related links:

We could not be more thrilled to bring you the first EVER Rising Above Ministry's Podcast!  On today's pilot episode, we invite you into our office to meet Becky, April, Chris, Hannah, and Kim, and hear in detail about what exactly we do.  Our mission at Rising Above is to "bring the love of God and hope in Christ to special-needs families through encouragement, support, inspiration and community."  We hope that after listening to this episode you will have a better idea of the vision the Lord is giving us to carry out that mission both locally, across the nation, and around the world.

In the months and weeks ahead we look forward to welcoming many guests to the show and discussing all kinds of topics relevant to the special needs family.  Join us!

We are so excited to bring you Episode 2 of our new podcast here on the blog.  Our first guests on the show are Terry and Susan Pace, joining Becky to discuss how new diagnosis can affect parents on many levels.  We believe you be encouraged by their story and their advice to parents who are just now beginning a special-needs journey.