Raj & Anya's story...
Our child was hit by a car while walking to school one day. Little Arie was our world, and in the
blink of an eye our world changed. Arie suffered a significant brain injury, and what was once a
vibrant, active girl was now a silent and immobile child. She spent numerous months in the
hospital, so my wife chose to stop working in order to be by her side. I began to work longer
hours, just so I could avoid the reality. Anya and I became distant from each other, and our little
Arie became withdrawn and sullen.
We went along like this for a year. I avoided home, and I focused solely on Arie. We began
to argue a lot, due to the stress, and I debated moving away from them both. The pain was just
too much, and our family was coming apart.
One night I came home to find Anya crying uncontrollably. She was screaming at me that she just
couldn't do it alone anymore, and that I needed to engage with this family and love Arie as she
now was. I was beside myself. I couldn't believe that I had let this get so out of control, but where
would we turn for help? Our world was so full already with doctor's appointments,
therapists, medical equipment and a special school for Arie. But I knew we needed help and fast.
I contacted a few of the doctors who worked with Arie, to see if there was anyone who could
help us. One of Arie's physical therapists suggested I hire a professional care manager. She
knew of a company in Tacoma, called Sound Options, who would be able to help us through
this tiring maze.
From the moment I met our care manager, Chris, I knew we had made the right decision. Chris
helped us find a caregiver, who had worked with children similar to Arie, and could come help
Anya on a daily basis. Chris also convinced us to go to counseling for our grief, stress, and
marriage issues. She also did some research on computer systems for brain injured people, and
was able to find a computer that allows Arie to "talk" to us with a synthesized voice. It is amazing
to converse with my daughter once again!
I could probably go on and on about all that Chris has done for us: being a voice for us with the
medical professionals, sitting in with us at Arie's school for
Individualized
Education Plan (IEP), ordering complicated medical
equipment and helping us meander through confusing insurance issues. But the most important
thing that Sound Options did for us was make us realize we were OK.
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