Hi !
I worry about  my son. He is 17 this weekend and there is so much to deal with this grade 12 year all by itself. so much to deal with to grow up and become an adult. And then we add ALPS on top of all of that normal teenage stuff and nothing is normal anymore. ALPS seems to magnify everything, especially because Bryn has been so emotionally traumatized by the process of diagnosis and and the existence of his massive spleen.

Bryn has been working with the therapist my husband and I have seen off and on for the past 23 years. She is wonderful. I am so happy they have hit it off and he is finding her work with him very beneficial. In some ways Bryn is wiser than his years because of all he has been through and all he has learned as a result. In other ways he is behind his peers in maturity because of all he has been through. He doesn't have the energy to work AND go to school., where friends are gaining work experience. He hasn't been able to fully experience his capabilities and actualize them at school because he misses so much school when he gets sick. This year, because he is feeling somewhat better he is having some very positive experiences and doing really well in several classes. This is great! But he needs to have more of this building of positive experience and seeing what he is capable of - he has missed that these past 7 years when he has set his sights on passing and that is all - he manages his time to get 50%! :-/. He is really bright and talented at music and film editing and cinematography. He's a really good writer and his comprehension in reading is above average. He's got so much going for him! He does procrastinate like crazy, and his work habits and organizational skills are horrible. This year he is really getting some great marks and comments from teachers. They have always thought he is bright but now they and he are seeing it happen!

He will  be on his own path to the future - it won't look like his friends. It is hard for him to not be very  stressed sometimes - he wants to be like everyone else, but I don't think he will be ready for College in Sept. He is just taking these first steps to success. Of course there is no one way, one path, the path is wavy, up and down for everyone. The schools make them feel there is one way and it is hard for he and I and his Dad to know what will happen, what life will look like. Can he manage a full-time job? He's going to be better at project based work where he can have some rest time. He wants to work in film so that may work out well. It is just hard to see and hard to know. What are the options, the possibilities? 

Has anyone out there been here themselves or with a youth of there own? How'd it go? How is it going? I hope to hear from some of you about your creative solutions and paths to independence and success.

:-)
Cathy