“And whoever gives these little ones only a cup of cold
water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means
lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42 (NKJV)
The recent tragic death of 6 year old London McCabe has left
me and many others with a heavy heart. I felt called to write about the
senseless loss of this sweet, Autistic boy who loved stuffed animals and big
hats. I did not want this to be just
another blip in the news. A society is
judged by the way they treat their children and animals. What does it say about
us when the news constantly bombards with celebrities and forgets these little
ones?
Although I am not
condoning what she did, Jillian McCabe was suffering with mental illness
herself. She spent 2 years battling the
system to get her son help and everyone failed her. She felt overwhelmed with nowhere else to
turn.
I was watching Dr.
Drew the night after this happened, and a psychologist on his panel also had a
child with special needs. She shared that even as a medical professional it was
difficult to navigate the system. I was not surprised; I have been trying for
30 years to get my son the assistance he needs.
It has been an arduous and convoluted process that would try the
patience of Job. Others have commented that my son was fortunate to have me to
fight for him; I felt that was a given. Yet, friends who are special education
teachers have said sometimes the parents are lower functioning than the
child.
The current mental
health and special education systems are failing the most at risk children and
their families. These kids need to have someone in their corner otherwise they
or their families will continue to lash out.
We have seen this with the Newtown shootings and now this most recent
tragedy. We need to help our disabled children sooner so they can become productive
members of society. I understand the system is inundated but as
with other agencies it needs to be overhauled and a stepwise chronic care model
put in place.
The world often
rejects these children but God never does. We need to realize we are all
connected and when one suffers we all suffer. We need to understand that stigma
kills and not talking about it does not make it go away. We need to reach a place of acceptance where
we see others with disabilities not through our eyes, but God’s. We need to listen to them. We must be their
voice. Maybe one person alone cannot make a difference but collectively we can. Please share this.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed,
citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
― Margaret
Mead
