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Permalink Reply by Kathy Guthy on August 22, 2011 at 9:09pm

Hi there. My son is 21 and he is currently a junior in college. He is studying psychology now and he hopes to be a guidance counselor. He also considered social work. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Ginny Ward on August 23, 2011 at 10:07pm

There are opportunities in many fields. The important thing is that he follow his strongest interests and skill set. When he gets to college, he will be able to explore the "choices of the day." I know many people who are quads who are lawyers, run not for profits... It is the "what do I really love?" question that he has to answer.

 

Ginny

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Permalink Reply by Ann Avery on August 24, 2011 at 7:54am

I hope he finds a passion for a field of study. I am so happy when I hear our guys are going on to  colleges and universities. My son happens to be a software engineer who programs, and that is his choice. He is working as a contractor at Microsoft, which means he has an apartment 100 miles from our home. He has aides for showering and for 3 hours in the middle of his workdays for lunch. I live with him and his dad is in and out and lives mostly at our home. I also went away to University with him, and we both got degrees. Helping our guys go on after high school is a wonderful calling worth all the parental time and sacrifice. I know everyone cannot be as availiable as I was due to other children and jobs, and I count myself fortunate that I could. What a feeling of pride for our guys to know they can have a career.

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Permalink Reply by Mortman on August 24, 2011 at 8:59am

My oldest (20) did not feel he had the strength to handle college. He considered taking classes one at a time.
He has ended up working for our local Make-A-Wish 2 days per week as their Manager of Social Media. It is a volunteer position, otherwise it would mess up his SSDI. He loves it and is making a difference. He is very outspoken which has helped him do a number of speaking engagements for them. We are going to Emcee their fall Wish Ball together this year!
My other son (17) has gotten very good as a DJ. He has a gift for understanding music and how it relates in different situations. He has compiled over 31,000 songs and has done a number of parties. It all runs through his laptop, and when his arms get too tired, he can operate it all remotely from his Iphone.
It is nice to see each able to find their own niche with what they are good at!

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Permalink Reply by Amrit on August 24, 2011 at 9:09am

I am crying while reading this. This is amazing and I am so pround of you all.

 

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StaffPermalink Reply by PPMD on August 24, 2011 at 9:52am

Hi Lisa!

You may also want to view Our Expert Panel video from the last Connect Conference, where our panel participants (men with Duchenne) discuss their education & career experiences: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-BZ_JJY2XE

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Groeger on August 24, 2011 at 12:46pm

Thank you all for your input!..I saw the expert panel..want my son to see it. I had no idea 12 yrs ago he would be doing so well and all of this would be a possibility..The Make a Wish thing is very cool..the manager of social media for one of the non-profits might be something he would like even if it isn't paid.  He really loved his Wish and the whole experience with that organization.

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Permalink Reply by Ann Avery on August 24, 2011 at 10:42pm

With the "Ticket to Work" program our dmd guys can work and still maintain their Medicaid benefits thru SSI. When my son is on a contract he does not get SSI payments, but they revert back inbetween contracts. He must send his pay stubbs to SSI every month.

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