Orange Socks Stories
Changing Minds and Inspiring Life
First Annual Orange Socks Day reaches Tens of Thousands
November 13th was the first of many Orange Socks days to come. Soon thousands and possibly millions will wear Orange Socks a symbol of inclusion for people with disabilities, and these families won’t feel alone anymore.
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Ways to Help Create an Orange Socks Movement
We need you to start this movement. To show individuals with special needs they are our equals. We do this by rallying around them until more people include them and lift them in ways that are helpful. Not with pity, but with love.
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Janalen and Rocky: Prader-Willis Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis
Rocky admits that at first he had worries and concerns about raising a child with special needs, but these concerns quickly dissolved. He tells us “The joy that comes when you sacrifice for other people and other things…It helps you to focus on the things that really matter in this life and to take joy in the simple things that we often take for granted.”
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Stacy and Terry: Cri Du Chat syndrome
Stacy said that her daughters have been a blessing from the beginning but that she had to adjust her thinking to a different path than what she had expected. Now they are just “Sydney and Logan. Stacy tells us, “They are actually easier to raise than my other two daughters who are non-delayed.” Despite the challenges they know it is worth it. “Everyone has problems, you just have to adjust…They are worth it. I wouldn’t give up anything. I love coming home…,” said Terry. He loves that his twin daughters still live at home and he gets about 20 hugs a day from them.
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Cathy and Brian: Down Syndrome
Cathy McMorris Rodgers and her husband Brian Rodgers found out their son Cole had Down syndrome at his birth. “It was tough. The doctors laid out a lot of things and it was very difficult. The fear of the unknown is what is overwhelming in that moment. Go talk to other people, don’t make an isolated decision. Educate yourself, I remember when we go the news about Cole, that so much of it was focused on the negative. It was focused on what health issues he may have or other challenges. Rather than really being told what the potential was.”
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Jessica and Chewy: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Jessica is a single mom and the parent of two boys, Britton and Chewy. Britton was born at 28 weeks gestation weighing only two pounds and 14 ounces. He is 13 years old now and has had many health challenges, including a stroke and brain bleed which has resulted in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
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Resource: Special needs parenting when your partner is abusive
For this Good In Our Community feature, we're featuring Betrayal Trauma Recovery. This is a great resource for anyone that is parenting a child with special needs, that has a parter who is abusive. Here is a blog written by their founder, Anne Blythe: We all know...
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Nikki and Sean: OI- Brittle Bones
They told us they thought he had a form of dwarfism based on his femur length. His femurs are shortened and curved, which is a marker for other conditions. At 32 weeks we got the results back that it was Osteogenesis Imperfecta- also known as brittle bones.
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Natalie: Rett syndrome and facial differences
“I held her and I cried and the nurse held me and from that moment on I said “I don’t care about anything else other than protecting her and doing whatever it takes to keep her happy and safe and loved.”
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Adrianne and Jason: Tetra-Amelia Syndrome
Adrianne and Jason had two biological daughters and an adopted son when they adopted and their daughter Maria from the Philippines. Maria was born missing all 4 limbs, a condition known as Tetra Amelia syndrome. Tetra Amelia syndrome: Exceeding Expectations Adoption...
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Jori and Dan: Autosomal Recessive Centronuclear Myopathy
Jori and Dan have a very unique son named Luxton. He is one of three cases in the world that has Autosomal Recessive Centronuclear Myopathy type 5. Luxton however is the only one in the world that has two mutated genes. Autosomal Recessive Centronuclear Myopathy type...
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Laurel and Jaron: 18 P Deletion
Laurel and Jaron didn't receive a diagnosis for their son, Shane, until he was 4 years old. Shane is diagnosed with 18 P Deletion. 18p Deletion He started missing milestones “We assumed he was like any other kid until he started missing some mile markers. We started...
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