My boy

This is my boy, my joy, my heart, my reason to smile and my greatest accomplishment. 

I am so proud of him. We have been doing brain mapping and have just started neurofeedback. Wow! You sure learn a lot about someone by brain mapping. They hooked Hayden up to an EEG and tested his brain waves, areas of delta, beta, alpha and theta. Like his momma, he has high levels of theta (electricity) and low beta (blood flow). We both have severe brain trauma but from different events. Both of us went without oxygen and blood and both of our brains reacted on similar areas. 

This boy of mine is dealing with so much. I knew he was a survivor and a conquerer. I knew he tried hard but I had no idea how much he has truly overcome and how many obstacles still lie in front of him. 

Hayden has severe auditory processing issues, along with autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADHD, anxiety disorder, sensory processing and integration disorder and severe brain trauma to the learning centers of the brain. 

As the brain mapping was complete and areas of concern were identified, the doctor was very somber as he spoke of the outlook for Bubba. However, as Hayden started his neurofeedback sessions the past two days, the doctors opinion of Hayden changed. He was in awe of my boy he said that for how severe Hayden's disabilities and trauma are, he is performing at a much higher level than he should be. He watched Hayden try to conquer the neurofeedback and control his brain. He told me that he was in awe of Hayden and his work ethic. He said that whT he is asking Hayden to do is extremely hard, very tiring and difficult to figure out. He warned me that with the severity of his ailments, he would be miserable and complain at the difficulty level. He said we would have to encourage and bribe him to get him to do what needed to be done. But he hadn't met Hayden. Instead, Hayden faced the challenges head on. He was positive. He asked what this would do to help him. The doctor explained the possibilities for improvement. Hayden bought in. He asked the doctor to give him the highest level of difficulty that he could do. He would give his all. 

As promised, Hayden was positive and gave his all. He was optimistic. He tried hard. He didn't complain. He focused beyond his ability and gave his all. The dr was in awe. He aid that Hayden had every reason to complain. But he chose to thank the doctor instead. He was polite and kind. He gave his all and just looked at this as a trial to overcome not an obstacle to hold him back. The doctor asked how we instilled such a great attitude and work ethic in him. 

I thought about it. Hayden has had many trials and challenges to overcome in his life. From open heart surgeries to seizures and illness and my illness and struggles. He has learned that trials do not define us. We have the ability to define and chose for ourselves. Life happens. Trials come. Attitude is a choice. 

So proud of my boy and the way he chooses to live his life and overcome challenges. He is definitely one of my heroes.