Dear IF readers,
International Family Magazine celebrates the special needs of families around the world.
On the weekend of March 29, Melmark organization (www.melmark.org) in Pennsylvania, USA held its Melmark Gala 2008, an annual fundraiser for a residential community and care facility for children and adults of special needs. I have walked the grounds of the beautiful 77-acre campus of Melmark in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Melmark is a magical place indeed. Donate to them if you can. Dr. Joanne Gillis-Donovan and her staff of over 500 are global ambassadors trying to reach every corner of the world with love and magic.
We live in a modern day world of medical technology that offers prenatal screening and the truth is, babies with special needs are in decline. I will admit that I myself signed up for a CVS screening at the 13th week of my second pregnancy at 38 years of age for information on my unborn baby. I do not know what would have happened if the information had come back that we had a child with special needs. I do not know at all. I compassion all families with difficult decisions. I compassion all the special babies that have not made appearances on this world. I sit on the fence of loss and discovery. These thoughts are further examined in Michael Wayland’s feature article for April, “Prenatal Testing”.
April takes us to our World Tour in Africa. Africa has intrigued me my whole life. My life has been spent in very manicured suburbs of Europe and America or high tech cities. There are natural elements and an undeveloped country to what I see in pictures of Africa that enthralls me. My oldest son Jax has taken up this passion with me. We have together decided that Africa has the most beautiful animals in all the world. I agree with him but would add that they also have some of the most beautiful country, people and languages. We can hardly wait to see what our first visit will compare to all our pictures these last 40 and 5 years (myself and Jax respectively).
I am humbled as of late with the journey of Crystal, my associate here at International Family Magazine and my cousin on my husband’s side of the family. Crystal “aged out” with special needs support after becoming an adult. Her version of the twenties crisis of ‘what am I going to be when I grow up?’ has proven much more complicated and challenging than I could ever imagine. Crystal has asked questions of herself, “Will I ever marry? Have children? Have a career?” filtered through frequent visits to the hospital for medical complications.
This April issue of special needs is one of the topics that inspired me to launch International Family Magazine. Our IF mag family wants all members of every family around the world to find their voice and tell their stories. I have a new, lovely friend Carla Golden from www.onehealthygirl.com that sends me quotes. I will pass you her latest, “One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another is listen to each other's stories. -Rebecca Falls
Good reading, Cat Wayland
