I am the mother of two gorgeous girls. My best friend and husband is Jason, and we have a feisty fur-baby Morgan the Toy Poodle.

Getting pregnant was not an easy process for me. I was grateful for one ‘miracle baby’ and then, at 36 years old, our ‘surprise girl’ came along.

The medical maze.

From her first breath, life was not easy for my youngest daughter, and as she grew the challenges grew. Thrown into navigating the various doctors' appointments and medical system, I quickly learned what questions to ask and realized the more ‘lingo’ I knew, the more info they’d share. It was sink or swim (or, as I prefer, RUN), so I chose to be a proactive and informed mum.

Appointment after appointment, multiple specialists, countless tests, changing diets, years of clinical therapy, and sleepless nights. With each passing year, we’d either receive a new diagnosis or inch closer to an answer to other presenting problems.

The diagnostic journey for my daughter so far:

• 6 yrs old – Celiac Disease

• 7 yrs old – Mutated Gene affecting her respiratory system

• 8 yrs old – OCD arrived with a vengeance

• 9 yrs old – ADHD

• 12 yrs old – Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• 14 yrs old – Significant menstrual challenges

• 16 yrs old – Severe Scoliosis

Digging deeper.

I was determined my family would not just survive but thrive. I drew even closer to my faith and ran more than ever. These two foundations have kept me going. I’m no Superwoman; I make mistakes, re-learn, and start over again.

Beginning to breathe.

In my daughter’s 14th year, we saw a significant breakthrough in therapy. I honestly thought when we began the new strategy “This will never work, it’s going to take forever to see the slightest change” but oh my goodness was I wrong. Her severe OCD was annihilated, and life for us as a family began to change. After years of holding our breath, we could finally exhale.

The lightbulb.

This brought me to a place I could no longer ignore; why keep all this valuable experience and knowledge to myself? How could I support other families with similar struggles and make a lasting change?

So, as a Special Needs Education Assistant, I began using the strategies with my students. The more I invested in their lives the more breakthroughs happened. By my eleventh year as a Specialist Educator, I was ready for the next chapter: becoming a Private Tutor and Coach. And my third baby, the MRS JAMES business, was born!