Having a child with special needs means having additional worries, fears, and caregiving duties, especially during puberty. That’s a rough time for everyone, but when the child is nonverbal and nonambulatory, it’s much more complex. Typically, parents teach their children personal care like showering at a young age, and then…

My dad, Joe Corrado, was my real-life Superman when I was young. He was larger than life, the smartest and strongest man I knew. He always shared wrestling stories from his years at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago. He even kept a piece of cartilage in a…

When my daughter Cammy was 5, she participated in a clinical trial at Boston Children’s Hospital that was supported by the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF). We traveled from our home in Illinois to Boston and back multiple times in 2014 and 2015, and met many incredible people along the…

In 2019, my two daughters, who are two years apart, attended different schools. My neurotypical daughter Ryan’s school had a winter concert, where all grades sang songs prepared during music classes. My older daughter, Cammy, who has Rett syndrome, did not have a winter show at her…

When our daughter Cammy was almost 2 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare disorder called Rett syndrome. Among the things Rett can steal from our children is their voice. In our community, we often play a game in which we ask, “If our child could have…

When my daughter Cammy was diagnosed with Rett syndrome at 20 months, I thought about all the life events she would never get to do. What came to mind first were the big things — having children, getting married, getting her driver’s license, and living on her own.

At every single curriculum night, parent-teacher conference, and Individualized Education Plan meeting, I cry. But I’m not crying for the reasons others might suspect. Instead, I cry tears of joy and appreciation that my daughter, Cammy, in in such good hands at her school. Handing over a child…