I love to read blogs by parents of kids with special needs. Why? Because the parents are so transparent and so loving as they share their daily struggles. Most of the blogs are written by moms, but recently I ran across one written by a dad, Greg Lucas. Greg blogs at Wrestling with an Angel. He shares the joys and frustrations that are go along with being the parent of seventeen-year-old Jake.

After reading a few of his posts, I left a comment and asked to interview him. Greg graciously agreed to answer my questions via email. Now it’s time to share his wisdom with you. Other than breaking the interview into several posts, his answers have not been changed. Here are his answers to several background questions.

Greg Lucas Interview, Part One

1.  What are the names of your family members?

Greg (dad), Kim (mom), Jake 17, Noah 16, Aaron 14 and Hope 4

2.  What is your job? Wife’s job? What kind of schooling have you chosen for your children?

I am a police officer and my wife is a neonatal flight nurse. Our children attend public school and just recently Jake was enrolled in a full time transitional school to teach him independent skills as he transitions to adulthood. While the public school system in our area is not known for the best special education, through God’s providence, we have always been blessed with excellent caring teachers. Much of our success with Jake has come from these extraordinary special education school teachers who went above and beyond to love, care for and teach our son.

3.  Would you tell Jake’s story, as much as you feel comfortable sharing? How has his condition changed your lives? What have you learned from the experience?

Jake was born in the neonatal unit at the hospital where my wife worked as a nurse. He was about 6 weeks premature, but rather healthy. My wife noticed a note on Jake’s isolette indicating that the birth mother had abandoned him to Health and Human Services. To make a long story short, we obtained an attorney, contacted an adoption agency and went through the legal work to adopt Jake. At that time he seemed perfectly healthy although we knew some of his birth parents past history of drug addiction and lack of prenatal care.

Jake was a little delayed for the first year of his life, but still progressing well. Then, right after his 1^st birthday he began having apnea related seizures where he would stop breathing for up to two minutes. We spent that entire next year in hospitals and doctors offices trying to control the seizures, but they became worse and worse. Between the seizures and the medications to control them, Jake became lifeless, distant, and severely developmentally delayed. He remained in this stupor condition for almost a year.

Kim and I were young, inexperienced parents who felt extremely weary, emotionally drained, and hopelessly defeated. Right before Jake’s second birthday we came to the end of ourselves.

We were religious, in the sense that we attended church and called ourselves “Christians”. But neither of us knew God in an intimate way. We knew of Jesus, but He was not our treasure. Instead, we were dependent on our own strength and our own tenacity to get us through the difficulties of life. Then God sent a storm into our life that neither our own strength nor tenacity could handle.

To Be Continued…

Are you hooked on Greg’s writing yet? If so, come back in a few days and read the rest of Greg’s answer to the third question. You won’t be disappointed. Until then, you might want to spend some time at Greg’s website where you will find pictures of Jake and Greg.

Wrestling with an Angel, Part 2
Wrestling with an Angel, Part 3
Wrestling with an Angel, Part 4
Wrestling with an Angel, Part 5

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