Welcome to Dandy Walker Ranger

Welcome to my Dandy Walker Ranger blog.  Why this title to my blog you might ask?  Dandy Walker is a syndrome my baby daughter Mikayla has had since birth, and even inception.  Dandy Walker is a congenital brain malformation involving the cerebellum, and highlighted by extra fluid in the brain.  Dandy Walker is rare, and effects 1 in 30,000 people.  All this is to say, that Mikayla is a special needs child.  I chose Dandy Walker Ranger of course as a play on words with the old Chuck Norris (insert Chuck Norris joke of your choice here) TV show Walker, Texas Ranger, but I also chose this title because having a special needs child is a fight everyday.  Sometimes it is a fight for your child's development, sometimes with yourself in your hope and perspective, sometimes against ignorance and understanding, and even sometimes it is simply a fight against an insurance claim.  The fight is not totally easy, but well worth it as I have come to grow in love for my daughter Mikayla.  I promise you she has taught me more about life in her short existence, and will probably continue to than I have taught her.  I am sure this is true for most parents, but imagine this perspective is heightened when your child is special needs.

So what is the purpose of this blog?  Well I am not entirely positive yet.  Right now I simply want to share our story and experiences with you.  In some way I hope that this will be therapeutic in nature, as writing and journaling our experiences so often is.  In another way I hope you can relate and learn from my experiences, and I hope that you will share your comments with me often.  I hope this blog is as much about you as it is me.  Feel free to subscribe so you can see posts in the future.  Also, follow me on twitter @JD_Honeycutt.