Sprite & Julian

I’m not quite sure where to start…

Over the past few years as Julian has been growing and changing, we’ve been discovering all kinds of things about him on a deeper level.

Let me say that this kiddo is intelligent both academically and socially, intuitive beyond belief, sensitive, kind, hilarious, clever, talented with soccer and piano, and so much more.

He also experiences challenges that are tricky to navigate. While I want to respect his privacy, I also want to advocate for mental health awareness and reducing the stigma. There can be a wide variety of causes for anxiety and panic disorder (and a few other things we’re exploring), but Jules was just born wired this way. We love every bit of him, both the fun and the challenges.

I can relate to Julian’s struggles because I face them as well, just not to the same degree. As a parent it’s heartbreaking to see your littles struggle. It’s also incredibly awesome to see them face their fears and conquer difficult situations. Julian has quite literally taken my breath away on several occasions with his insight and strength.

Julian inspires me.

One really cool thing we’ve learned through this continuing journey is that there are phenomenal resources, tools, and people in this world that can make each day a little better than it might have been.

In that vein… Our family is SO excited to share that Julian now has Sprite!! She is his Service Dog in Training who will eventually accompany him to school every day and anywhere else he needs. She will be trained to apply deep pressure therapy during panic attacks and so much more! She’s a gorgeous 1.5 year old black lab who has started her training with the best of the best and will complete her training here in Bloomington.

A huge THANK YOU to Brittany Demro at Twisted Clovers for matching Julian with Sprite (& pouring your heart and soul into training)! They are the perfect pair and we can’t wait to watch them grow up together!