Last Chance at "Normal"

This journey began over 12 years ago when Owen Augustus Cobb was born on December 19, 1997. Owen is our son; mine, Anthony's , and God's. God gave him to us, to guide and protect him until our job is through.

When Owen was 14 mos. old, he began having seizures. Words cannot describe the feeling of complete helplessness that a parent feels when their precious baby is convulsing. There is absolutely nothing you can do except wait. Those few moments or minutes seem like an eternity. The questions; Do we call 911 this time? How long will this one last? Do we use the Diastat? Will this one cause brain damage?

Owen's seizures were controlled on meds that totally changed his personality and made him a zombie. When those meds made the seizures worse, meds were changed with other side effects coming into play. As a pharmacist, I know all about meds; well, I thought I did. Medical professionals do not know anything until they have a loved one sick, then you research, & research, & research. You are up until the wee hours of the morning researching; trying to find someone just like you. Trying to find answers. Wishing that you were up at all hours facebooking or shopping online instead of trying to find some kind of a cure or healing for your child.

I pray every day for God to heal Owen. Every single day without fail. I also pray for my husband, Anthony, and my other precious son, Will, my mini-me. Do not think for 1 second that Will is slighted in any way. We try to make sure both boys have as normal a life as possible. Sometimes this is very difficult, but we try. Eventhough I prayed for healing, I often wondered why I was praying for it. Haven't we been told millions of times that nothing could be done? Haven't we spent thousands of dollars on doctors, schools, & therapists only to be told that there is nothing more we can do? But, I continued to pray every, single day.

I would hear of treatments for other conditions, but Owen didn't "fall" into those categories, so it would not work I feared. Plus, how can we, here in southwest GA, put Owen on a diet that would be impossible for us. Only people in big cities can find those kind of foods, right?

Well, I bought a book for a friend whose son was diagnosed with Aspergers. The book was called Mother Warriors by Jenny McCarthy, a well-known actress. After a few pages in to the book, I ran into the den & told Anthony, "This is us! This is our life!" Jenny researched & found doctors who could "recover" these children through biomedical treatment. No, we don't grow our own food, paint rocks, & chant, but we can help heal these children.

I am a normal, middle class mother finding my way on the trail of Owen's Walk. I own a pharmacy in my small, rural hometown of Colquitt, GA. The population of Colquitt/Miller Co. is about 6000. I will do what I can to improve Owen's life, his walk through this life. He may never recover; that is okay with me. I love that child no matter what. God gave him to me for a reason. God answers prayers in 4 ways. He either says "yes", "no", deal with it because my grace is sufficient, or "wait"-the time is coming. I truly believe He wanted me to wait; wait until the time was ripe; until Owen & I were ready for this journey. Maybe we are the guinea pigs. Whatever we are I say bring it on.

The title of this post if "Last Chance at Normal". I named it that because on one of our wild goose chases & testing of Owen at an elite, Atlanta school, Atlanta Speech School to be exact, after being told of all the things Owen would NEVER be able to do, and how he would NEVER succeed in anything(and we actually paid them for this info), my husband looked at me & said don't ever ask me to take Owen to people who tell us what he NEVER be able to do, but to people who tell us what he WILL do. Those people were the folks at Lindamood-Bell in Atlanta. They never gave up on us or Owen. When we left there after Owen's first evaluation, & they told us that Owen & Anthony would need to move to Atlanta for school, we were in shock to say the least. Anthony was just voted as deacon of our church; Owen was 8 years old; I had business to run; it could be a financial disaster. We had only owned our business one year at this point. How could I let me baby move away? He needs me. His dad doesn't know the foods he likes or his favorite clothes. I am his mama. Well, no, he is God's child, and God put this in motion. So, on the way home, Anthony looked at me & said, "This is our last chance at normal." So, that began Owen's walk with his parents & God on this journey to recovery or however God sees it. Will you join us? I can promise it won't be boring!