We’ll get to Italy.

Shortly after we received our daughter’s diagnosis, I took a long walk with our neighbor who we fondly referred to as “Mayor” for her connections to so many in the community. During the course of our walk, she shared stories of people she knew who had a child with unique needs – she knew the parents, the siblings, and how their circumstance made everyone better and stronger for it. She also talked about how even families with the most severe of difficulties found a way to travel together to all corners of the world.

As parents, we always envisioned sharing the world with our children. We crave travel, love watching live sports, live for experiences. Naturally with our kidlet came a lot of unknowns. Can she tolerate planes and crowds? Will loud sports arenas bother her? Will she be physically capable of enjoying herself? We needed to find out.

There’s a poem that makes its rounds called “Welcome to Holland” and for us, it just hit differently. Yes, things are different. She moves and processes differently from our “neurotypical” kidlets. Still, she – and we – need to get in the adventure therapy. We’ve seen her eyes light up at the unfamiliar and do things on vacation that aren’t replicated in her therapy rooms. As challenging as it may be, we’re not changing plans, just adjusting expectations. If she wants to go to Italy, we’re getting her to Italy. Full stop.