(An unedited essay by James Henderson III, as a fifth-grade student) “Oh my gosh!” my mom screamed in the car as my brother, Robert, layed there limp, blue and breathless. “He’s dead, Robert is dead!” My mom waved somebody over. Several cars came and called an ambulance right away. When the ambulance arrived they gave Robert oxygen. After about 30 minutes of oxygen Robert was breathing and alright. This was the event that changed my life. This was when my family found out tha

By: Dr. Michael A. Pasquarella, Colonel, US Army (Retired) Life can throw a lot at you. Disability Our 3rd daughter, Cristina, was born in a small hospital In Fulda, Germany in 1990, while I was stationed there on a 3-year Army assignment. It was immediately apparent to me at the time of delivery that she was unlike her first two sisters. I diagnosed Cristina with Down Syndrome. I am a Family Medicine Physician. I only mention this because being a parent to a child with a dis

I had the most meaningful podcast interview with Jill E McCormick of Grace in Real Life Podcast last month and I am so excited to tell you it is live! I can hardly wait for you to listen in and tell me what you think! Jill and I each spoke from our hearts in regards to walking in grace when raising our children. For me, raising five children with one of them having profound complex disabilities required a lot of love and grace. ‍ At one point in our conversation, we landed on

Ok, let’s be honest. I am the one doing most of the talking each week, but I really want to hear from you! When we began the In Our Arms blog in 2021, my desire was to tell my story on this roller-coaster ride of Life Unexpected … and your story. I know you have a story to tell about your journey as a mom, a dad, a grandparent, or an invited caregiver caring for an individual with disabilities. Would you please consider joining our growing group of Community Contributors who

We fight for the things we know to fight for and wait for the fruit of that battle to manifest itself. I didn’t just start advocating for children after our son, Robert, passed away. I have been fighting for children for more than 20 years either on nonprofit boards serving children with disabilities or through family support groups serving those caring for a child or youth with a disability. I am not uplifting myself but giving context to what I am writing today. The tragedy