i’m sure many of us have heard it said that you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. in the last year and a half, our family has found this testimonial to be true. we received a phone call in september 2022 on the morning of hudson’s first birthday that would change our hearts forever. although our journey truly began when hudson experienced his first seizure at only eleven weeks old, in that moment we knew that life had changed, but we had no idea of the storms that we were about to walk through.
along with many other emotions, we were scared and felt incapable, almost like we weren’t cut out for the job of being hudson’s parents. we were thrown into making big medical decisions, trying to understand what was happening to our little baby’s body, and learning how we could best help him, all while being first-time parents. we had no idea what we were doing, and many times we still don’t. absolutely nothing can prepare you for the emotions of parenting a child with medical needs– a situation that almost always includes unexpected obstacles.
from that day forward, we quickly adapted by following our instincts, researching on our own, studying genetics, reaching out to parents across the world, contacting neuro-geneticists from st. louis to boston for their guidance, letting hudson be the very best teacher, and giving this whole situation to God because we knew and still know that we are not in control. we want nothing more than to provide a life for hudson that he truly deserves; a life full of joy. to give him the opportunity to learn how to communicate in a way that works best for him. to find the resources that will encourage his growth in learning how his body works, and because of your generosity, we can do that for him and all chromosome 14q warriors.
as his parents, we encourage you to always be present in the moment or what we like say, seize the day. no one is immune to life unexpected happening to them, and being so lucky to have hudson in our lives has shown us to always offer grace, and choose joy every single day.
-torri & luke mccook