By Natalie Roberts-Mazzeo, mother supported by Very Special Kids.

I’m sure you have already heard the buzz words ‘self care’ circulating around, reminding you to slow down, to nourish, to prioritise your health and wellbeing, to exercise, to meditate, to sleep well. Yes, the list goes on and on.

Yet given your circumstances it can feel, well… pretty much impossible.

When you are raising a child with a disability or any other diagnosis, so much of your time and energy is taken up by providing additional care. I understand, I am in the same boat.

Some families live on very little sleep, perhaps they are up through the night dealing with seizures or administering medication. Maybe they just can’t switch their mind off, with all the enormity of the information they are dealing with.

Then there’s the physical side, the lifting children or young adults into and out of equipment, i.e.: wheelchairs and standing frames.

For the first few chaotic years after my daughter’s diagnosis, I spent most of my time either at The Royal Children’s Hospital or attending therapy appointments.

Any sort of self care other than a few hours sleep in between attending to my daughter throughout the night, felt like an impossible feat.

After a personal health issue, I realised I needed to nourish myself more than ever, after all, my daughter needed me to. Her diagnosis meant that she would require a lot of love and physical care for the rest of her life.

So I began to create ways to introduce self care into my life, yes I had to get really creative about it given my circumstances. Although I was lucky that I’m a qualified yoga and meditation teacher, so I had a tool kit. However even with that, it felt like a huge challenge.

I began with gentle exercises, I had to build my strength up again both emotionally and physically. Here’s a few things that helped me get started:

• slow walks in the sunshine (or even through the hospital corridors)
• gentle stretching exercises
• taking deep conscious breaths in and out
• swimming (or even sometimes just floating if I was too tired!)
• riding my bike along the beach
• writing and journaling
• listening to music and moving to music
• listening to an inspiring podcast
• spending time in nature
• enjoying a hot drink in the morning sun
• listen to music, dance in the kitchen (why not?!)
• taking moments of pause and breathing through stressful days
• giving thanks for all the good things
• catching up with friends and having a belly laugh
• sign up to the local gym, pilates or yoga class
• reconnecting to the things I loved before I became a special needs mama
• ask for help when I needed it
• making healthy food choices (not easy when you are tired I know!)

I discovered that when I took action on committing to my self care daily, my overall health and wellness increased.

When we prioritise our self care, we are in a much stronger position to provide the extraordinary amount of care our beautiful children require.

Find more insights from Natalie visit her blog – Miracle Mama https://miraclemama.com.au/

Hello, my name is Hanna, and I am 15 years old. I have been a part of Very Special Kids for six years now, and I have done many things with them. Including going on camps and meeting some amazing people. I have now been in remission for five years, and will no longer need the support, but I sure will miss it.

My family got involved with Very Special Kids because I had A.L.L (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia). This is a type of cancer in your blood system. It’s when the “white blood cell” don’t do their job, and they multiply and do nothing, leaving hardly any room for red blood cells.

I was diagnosed with it when I was seven-years-old. I received treatment for three years, and wrote and published a book about my cancer journey when I was just 10-years-old.

Having Leukaemia, affected me a lot, both mentally and physically. I was bullied at school, because of the way I looked (bald head, tube in nose, and weight gain from the steroids), and I now suffer from anxiety and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). I luckily see specialists to help me deal with these problems, but, it really does change your life, and make everything harder, especially when you feel so different to other kids.

Although, Cancer may have been a negative in my life, it also had a positive impact as well. It has made me much more mature and grown up then other kids my age. It has showed my family and me who our real friends are, and it has inspired me to become many things, like a writer, and a digital artist/illustrator.

It has allowed me to go to many fun places, like Lord Somers Camp, Annie’s Cottage and Woodend, all provided by Very Special Kids. My family has really enjoyed it too, and we always come back home wishing we could have stayed there longer.

Lord Somers camp, is by far the best camp ever! I have met so many nice and supportive people there. The staff there were very kind and I also got to act in mini films they made, which helped me with enhance my confidence. I also got to go with my mum to the “parent’s room”, where I could get a back massage, and a pedicure. They also have a radio station, which you can play music and tell jokes to the whole camp, (that was my little brother’s favourite).

The Woodend Farmhouse is such a fun holiday place to go. My family and I have been there many times. It is so much fun, and the place we stay in is modern, yet still has that farm-house feel. It’s not far away from the local town either, and you can even feed the sheep that live on the farm. There is also a big barn house with a pool table, piano, bikes, kites, radio, tennis table, and a giant decorated pig stature. And did I mention that this is only on the bottom floor? On the second floor, there are beanbags, a chalkboard, costumes/wigs, and in the middle of the room there is round swing, that can swing anywhere. That was my favourite, especially when you’re listening to music at the same time.

At night time Woodend is amazing, the stars are really bright, and you can sometimes see kangaroos in the nearby fields, and honestly, I want to live there when I’m older.

I will miss so much about Very Special Kids but especially the farms at Woodend, Annie’s Cottage and Lord Somers Camp. I will also miss the lovely people I met, especially Angela Flood our Family Support Practitioner and Debra, our Family Support Volunteer.

It does however, feel so great to reach the end of such a long journey and to celebrate five-years in remission.

Anyway, thank you for reading my article. I am very thankful for Very Special Kids, and everything you have provided my family with. We will never forget the moral support and the lovely things you have done for us.

Also if you want to know more about me or my books, then you can visit my Website: www.hannalfarha.com