Why I walk for Apraxia Kids!

I walk to support my 7-year-old son, Jase Hanson, who has courageously battled the struggles and stigma associated childhood apraxia of speech. Jase has had to overcome many social barriers due to apraxia of speech. Can you imagine being in elementary school and not being able to effectively communicate with your teachers and peers? Not able to tell the lunch ladies what you want for lunch?  Or trying to play baseball, soccer, or other sports, and, again, being unable to effectively communicate to your teammates or coaches?  Jase has had many moments of frustration and tears simply over not being understood.  He struggles to have true friendships due to communication barriers and the stigma that we all know exists amongst kids when their peer is "different." My little hero continues to fight this battle every day. After years of speech therapy, we have been blessed with finally finding a speech therapist, Mrs. Megan, who recognized that he was not progressing in traditional speech therapy. Mrs. Megan helped us find a specialist to assess Jase for apraxia of speech.  After receiving the official apraxia of speech diagnosis, Mrs. Megan set Jase up with Mrs. Maddy (his speech therapist who specializes in apraxia of speech). Mrs. Megan and Mrs. Maddy have given Jase the gift of having a voice. Jase is finally making progress. He is beginning to be able to communicate with others effectively without always needing to rely on his electronic communication device. This has been a long process, with many ups and downs, spending a fortune on private outpatient speech therapy, and persistence in advocating for Jasie-Bug. 

I walk  not only to support Jase, but to support all children diagnosed with apraxia of speech - our Apraxia Stars. To show these children they are not alone and to acknowledge all the hard work they must do to overcome communication challenges that affect their day-to-day lives.  

Jase was blessed that we had the ability to fund his speech therapy.  Not every child has this blessing.  But EVERY CHILD DESERVES A VOICE!!! I walk to raise funds for the mission of Apraxia Kids – to strengthen the support systems in the lives of children with apraxia of speech by educating professionals and families; facilitating community engagement and outreach; and investing in the future through advocacy and research.

Please help me meet my fundraising goal by making a donation now or by joining our team.  You, too, can make an impact for children and families affected by apraxia!

I believe, “Every child deserves a voice”.