Each Survivor, each Angel, has a voice, and that voice is you. No one could ever truly know how you feel, no one could ever truly tell you what path to take on this journey. We all know that this is a preventable tragedy, and there is one thing we must do to continue forward with a mass, the world has never witnessed.
I am going to take this time to tell you what I am promising to everyone affected by Shaken Baby Syndrome. My daughter Madilyne was an unfortunate victim taken too soon. Many of you know our story and have learned throughout the years the struggles I have faced, the foundations that have crumbled under my feet, and the challenges I have taken on, because I know the most important task here is to strive to save the children of tomorrow.
Our Network started out with just 3 families back in 2007. 3 families. Today we stand at over 50,000 families we have successfully been able to network with other families affected by Shaken Baby Syndrome as a resource for healing, learning, and the betterment of the lives of our Survivors.
The shackles are coming off, the walls are coming down. I am 150% ready to take the restraints on my heart off, open the bandages to reveal the scars, and make myself 100% vulnerable to start this campaign. The Network was built to be support provided by the families for the families of SBS. It has done just that. However, there has always been an understanding that the Network was not made to be the biggest, not made to be the best, and sure as heck not made to be an influence to enforce disagreements between families, organizations, or supporters. The situation at hand is this. You can come to the Network any time, day or night, and receive support. I am the parent of a victim, and if you came with a Survivor whom was 14 years old having issues with development issues, I would not be the person for you to speak with, but I would find you someone with the closest situation as possible for resources and support to help you grow.
There will always be a great difference between families of Survivors and families of Victims. However we must each understand the importance of not expecting either type to know how we feel, and we must never proclaim to understand what they're going through, because the truth is, we do not. What we can do, is to support each other, and not lash out at each other just because we disagree on a topic, on an event, or on the "ethics" of an individual. We have each walked a path that no one rightfully should. All we need is each other, and to ensure we are connecting with those who can provide us with the comfort we are searching for.
We must make ourselves vulnerable, take off our shackles, and take down the walls so we can stand together as one, to make this cause of Shaken Baby Syndrome, powerful enough to take on the entire population of the world. We must set our egos down, and know that no matter what someone else is doing, we are doing everything we can in our hearts, as we dream, without throwing backlash to anyone for what they do. We must also face disagreements head on, face to face, and not create an under current of buzz about this person, that person, or organization. Haven't we all been through enough? How bad do we want the world to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome? How much of a strive can we take together to make this happen to paint the world blue in the month of April?
Set the disagreements down, I am not asking you to forget them, I am asking you to set them aside because the issue at hand is much larger than any disagreement or quarrel. We can see the candle light from this post forward, and we can do so by ensuring the picture below is on every site, every social media outlet, blog, and postings. If you agree to set down egos, disagreements, and hard feelings against each other in the SBS community, I am asking you to change your twitter profile picture, your blogger account picture, your Facebook picture, and so on to the picture below. (Right click, save as, to save to your computer for upload) Also please ensure to share this post with every family affected you know, for the origination of this pledge is simply a candle, lit as one, turned into a fire in all our eyes.
Please hold my hand, because together as an army of families affected, we together can make huge strides together, rather than alone.
All my love, thoughts, and prayers,
From all of us at, The Shaken Baby Syndrome Support Network
No comments:
Post a Comment