Many of you know my story and the incredible fight it was to get Samuel diagnosed with Celiac Disease. For months I had watched my little toddler fade away in front of me with no answer, no one really listening, and yet, I knew as his mother something was wrong.
The defining moment in my fight? The moment when I wouldn't back down? I was in the hospital. They were going to discharge Samuel and were telling me he was only sick because he was in a large family and was exposed to more germs.
Yet, I knew he was sick. The room was empty, and I was crying while I stared at my toddler sleeping on a bed besides me. I felt helpless. At that moment a nurse walked into the room, looked at me, and heard me exclaim, "Please, please...he needs help."
She grabbed my hands, looked me squarely in the eyes, and told me, "You sit yourself down. Your boy is really sick. You must fight for him. Do not leave. But fight." Something shifted.
I fought. I fought and fought and fought. And we got a diagnosis. And I still fight - for all the other mothers who are sitting in hospital rooms or in bedrooms or in clinics wondering what is wrong with their child and are begging for a simple Celiac lab draw that should be standard screening for all children.
That? That is where I'm not backing down.
I will not stop talking about Celiac Disease. I will not stop pushing for screening of Celiac Disease. I will not stop writing about gluten-free living and Celiac Disease. This? This is part of my responsibility as his mother. I won't back down.
The new Fox movie, Won't Back Down {release date September 28, 2012}, starring Oscar Nominees Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Rosie Perez and Academy Award Winner Holly Hunter, tells the story of two determined mothers {Gyllenhaal and Davis} whose minds are set on changing the system - the schools that their children attend.
They faced overwhelming obstacles and a system of bureaucracy for their children. It is a story of mothers taking a stand. Not backing down. There's a line in the movie - about having one life to live - that resonated deeply with me.
We've got today. Today, and we can make a difference. We can't live in regret, worry, and remorse - instead we need to live empowered and not backing down for those in our lives and taking a stand for what we believe in and know is right. We can make a difference.
I can make a difference in the Celiac Disease Community. I can push for Celiac Screening as needed screening for children.
You? You can make a difference as well. Maybe you talk to the mom alone at the park. Maybe you organize a school supply drive for a needy school. Maybe your city needs a safer park. Maybe you want better health options. Maybe. Make maybe a reality.
Consider going to see Won't Back Down with a group of friends on September 28. You can purchase group tickets on their Facebook page . And make sure to stay up to date with trailers and information on the Won't Back Down Facebook Page. Do me a favor - like their page - and let's stand together supporting moms who believe in an issue and won't back down.
Watch the powerful Won't Back Down trailer - I get a bit teary watching these mothers fight for what they believe in. And then when you're done, enter below for a chance to win one of two $40 Fandango gift cards. That's right, I'm blessed to be able to give away two gift cards to one of you!
Moms, we can make a difference in this world. We can be courageous, fight, share, and not back down. Truly we can.
How can you be an agent for change in your community?
What gives you courage?
