Dear Ferret Folks-

I was scrap booking tonight. I keep a scrap book centered on my little
nephew, Alexander. He is 7 now.

Well, it's been an amazing year. At the beginning of 2010 he was in
free fall, his parents busted up, his father in and out of mental wards
and living in his car. To add insult to injury his little...grrr...
whitebread soccer mom school was trying to throw him out and into
another school for "those kids". That school features a special room
made of concrete blocks and metal bars over the light fixtures. His
crime? He has ADD. And they don't want to pay to accommodate him in his
local school, the way the law says they have to. They admitted that
then as now, he is not profane, fresh-mouthed, defiant or violent. But
wouldn't he be happier with "people like him?" as the oh, so helpful
school psychologist said to us. Those people. If she had said that
about an African American child Fox News would have really enjoyed
meeting me.

Anyway, last spring I asked for help from you. I asked for Easter cards
or little notes from you as it was the first holiday for him after his
parents broke up, and he was miserable. Well, you sent cards and little
notes. And boxes of toys, of candy, of EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE. It all
came to him as a complete surprise, and lifted him three feet up off of
the ground! More arrived every day for about two or three weeks, some
of it long after Easter was over. It made him feel special when he felt
hopeless to control any meaningful aspect of his life, or ever expect
the world would be a good place again.

Today, the world is a much better place. MUCH. Dad is a half-way house,
and Alex gets to visit him once a week. We go to playgrounds and
museums and all sorts of places, instead of one of those court-ordered
visitation centers. Alex doesn't cry when the visits are over anymore
either. His world is a sane place once more. The divorce was final a
few weeks ago, and he is as accepting of it as any little child is.
It's just hard, sometimes. The world.

And the school? I am THRRRRRRRILLED to tell you that they have *just*
given up on moving him away from the school he loves and all his
friends and stick him with "those people." Guess what. Concrete bunkers
don't cure learning disabilities. Neither does prejudice. He's reading
up to grade (he is currently in second) but his math needs work. Well,
that is now being addressed. God, it was a seemingly endless battle.
We can't thank our professional student advocate enough. We also owe
thanks to DCF (they came on the scene because in MA if one parent gets
a restraining order against another they open an investigation.) who
got him to a free therapist and locked horns with the school again and
again and again. He loves Miss Cathy his therapist. Oh, yes! He just
started Cub Scouts. He is working on his "Badger Badge."

And I truly believe your ENORMOUS kindness did more than you can know
to make his world a good place again...full of cool surprises and
silliness and *hope* once more. I can never thank you enough, Ferret
Folks. You answered the call, and made a difference. I can't say enough
about the Ferret Community, so I will stop right *here.*

Alexandra in MA

[Posted in FML 6875]