Leo the Lion

Leo's Story

In February of this year, our sweet Leo was diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Apraxia is a disconnect between the brain and the motor movements needed to produce speech. For Leo, sounds and words that come naturally to most of us can take tremendous effort. He is incredibly smart, has so much he wants to say, and yet there are times when his mouth simply cannot keep up with everything his mind wants to communicate.

As a mom, there is nothing quite like watching your child face a difficult journey. It breaks your heart to know that something as simple as being understood can sometimes be a struggle.

But through what I can only describe as a God wink, I discovered something I never knew about my own childhood—I had struggled with mild apraxia as a child, too. Knowing that I walked through something similar and came out on the other side has brought me  comfort I didn’t know I needed. It gives me hope for Leo and reminds me that his diagnosis does not define his future.

Leo works SO hard. And he has already made incredible progress. He is getting old enough to realize when people don’t understand him, and while that can be heartbreaking, it also makes me want to fight even harder to give him every opportunity to find his voice and continue to thrive.

That is why we are participating in the Walk for Apraxia and raising funds for Apraxia Kids. Their mission is to strengthen the support systems surrounding children with apraxia of speech by educating professionals and families, building community, and investing in advocacy and research.

Our goal is bigger than a fundraising number. We want to help make sure families like ours have access to the education, resources, support, and hope they need along the way.

Leo is one of the sweetest, smartest, hardest-working kids I know. He has so much to say, and we want to make sure he has every opportunity to say it.

I believe with all my heart:

“Every child deserves a voice.”

Would you consider helping us reach our goal and supporting Leo—and so many other children and families walking this same journey? Every donation, share, prayer, and word of encouragement means more to our family than you know. ❤️