This is Jaclyn Greenberg and she is RESILIENT.
CONTENT WARNING: The I Am Resilient Project provides an open space for people to share their personal experiences. Some content in this post and on this website will include topics that you may find difficult.
Describe the situation where you had to be resilient:
When my son was born early via emergency C section, I learned that his development was impacted by a virus that I caught when I was pregnant.
Jaclyn’s Story:
My son was born almost immediately after an ultrasound appointment. He was 2 lbs and 12 ounces at birth. The morning after he was born, my husband and I were told that our son contracted a virus (Cytomegalovirus) when I was pregnant. But we didn’t yet know the extent of the impact. After our son spent 5 weeks in the NICU, we received the prognosis that the virus impacted his brain and that he would have disabilities.
I was in complete shock when I received the news and struggled to manage day-to-day. At the time, I had a toddler and a full-time job, plus my newborn son. I took one moment at a time and kept moving forward. I didn’t have any other choice. But as soon as my responsibilities were over for the day, I slept. It was my way of coping with depression. My husband helped care for my newborn son when I struggled. Not long after his diagnosis, I went back to work and put both children in daycare at my job. I needed to maintain my familiar routine. I slowly started taking on doctor and therapy appointments to help my son and my husband, and I saw a therapist together to work through our feelings.
How did you practice resilience when faced with this challenge?
I took one day at a time. I had no choice. I found a therapist that my husband and I talked as much as possible. We spoke about our feelings and how to move forward.
Please share one piece of advice for people who are going through a similar challenge:
Breath and take one moment at a time. Do the research and be prepared, but don’t project too far into the future.
Are you ready to share your story of RESILIENCE? You can do that HERE.
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