Whenever I meet a family who has a child with a special need or who has a potentially life threatening disease it doesn’t take me very long to start talking about David’s Refuge. I explain who we are and quickly invite them to consider coming to spend a few days as our guest. Each family I talk to is unique. Some have been caretakers for years; others have just started their first few wobbly steps on the journey of caring for their child. Some have children with definitive multiple challenges; others are still in the process of learning that the list of their child’s special needs is growing with words they have never even heard of before. As I already said, each family is unique.
Often when I invite a family to consider making a reservation at David’s Refuge I get the following response, “Someone else deserves this more than I do.” They quickly point out other families they know who have children who are more physically or cognitively or emotionally involved than their own. Thankfully this gives me a chance to remind them that David’s Refuge is ultimately not about whose family has the sickest child or has the rarest disease. David’s Refuge is about them; about them as parents, about them as caregivers, and about their ability to stay in the game for the long haul. While they may always be able to point to a family whose child has greater challenges than their own, no parent who loves and cares for a child with special needs can say they don’t need a break, a refuge, an opportunity to simply recharge their batteries.
You see, while each family I talk to is unique, they are also very much alike in their need to care for themselves. The next time I talk to you and encourage you to consider staying with us at David’s Refuge simply say, “Yes,” and then give me the name of the family you think deserves it more then you do and I will call them and invite them to stay with us as well.