Inspired by Wyatt
December 27, 2009
Dear Editor,
On December 25, 1864 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the Christmas poem, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” the famous words gave birth to one of our most familiar Christmas carols. On December 25, 2009 my husband I heard the sweetest sound of Christmas, the sound of our six year old son’s newly emerging voice. To most the joyous shout of, “Mama! Daddy! Santa was here,” are words that parents take for granted. For us and other families of children with speech delays, it was true Manna!
It is ironic that when Longfellow penned the words to his poem, America was still months away from Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9th 1865; and, his poem reflected the prior years of the war’s despair, while ending with a confident hope of triumphant peace. My husband and I feel like we have been through a different kind of battle, one to unlock the voice of our child.
We are grateful for the article you published only a year ago about our son Wyatt’s use of a Dynavox to communicate and to prove his literacy. We hope that it gave hope to other parents of children with speech delays.
We are overjoyed to report that our son’s voice is finally emerging. He went from producing less than ten words in January of 2009 to producing 3-5 word sentences. Words cannot express the incredible heart ache we have endured. I also wish I could articulate the overflowing joy we now experience as our son shouts out simple words and phrases that other parents take for granted.
In the same spirit of Longfellow’s poem, we have come through great despair and now are filled with a hope of triumphant peace. We share our story to thank you for raising awareness of children with speech delays. We also hope to encourage these same parents to never give up and to believe…”Then pealed the bells more loud and deep; ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With Peace on earth, good will to men’.
May the sweet sounds of our children’s voices continue to emerge and sing out throughout the coming year!
Jim and Cynthia Falardeau
Vero Beach, FL
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Proud Moments can be any time that you have been extremely proud of your child with special needs. It can be when they are giving it their all or reaching a milestone. You may feel you can only share your excitement or enthusiasm with someone that will really understand. We understand. [email protected]
Photo courteousy Cynthia Falardeau
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This post originally appeared on our November/December 2010 Magazine [11]