Courtesy of Hailey Brown
In the meantime, Reagan was having a rough time with a few things and needed speech therapy, so adding that into the mix was tricky. The day Arliyah started school was so hard. I cried and cried and cried. She, on the other hand, was happy as can be. Everyone was finding their feet, as teaching a student with vision impairment was new for everyone. We all had to really work together to work out what she needed and how we could ensure she was able to learn at the same level as her peers. There were many ups and downs throughout that year. Arliyah needed an eye operation to try and correct the turns in her eyes. It didn’t help her vision, unfortunately, but it helped her focus a little better. That year, there were many falls, running into poles, tripping, and losing friends at lunchtime. It really was rough for her. It took some time for her to even find her place. We were so lucky to have found some incredible people along the way who’ve now become like family.
Courtesy of Hailey Brown
Along our journey, I really was introduced to an entirely new world. There are only about 1,000 people in Australia with albinism, so it’s super rare and I wanted to break all the stigmas and the assumptions people have about albinism. Like most parents, you let your kids try out different sports to work out what they like best. Arliyah was never your typical little girl, let alone vision-impaired girl. She never liked to dress up or play dollies. We heard from a friend about Muay Thai (kickboxing) and although my heart dropped at the thought of my precious girl punching and or being punched, I quickly realized the value of her learning self-defense and how valuable that could be. I spoke to Arliyah about it and she couldn’t contain her excitement. This was right down her ally and we all knew it.
Courtesy of Hailey Brown
Both Arliyah and Reagan have fallen in love with Muay Thai. Arliyah trains four times a week, including a fight class. It has pretty easily become a passion of hers and I truly don’t believe she would be the child she is today without it. My children have learned so many life skills and gained so much confidence. Arliyah has a goal and her goal is to fight mainstream fights like everyone else does. She’s had a couple of in-house fights and has done exceptionally. No one can believe, with her lack of vision, how much of a strong fighter she is. She is the only known child who is legally blind to do Muay Thai in Australia and I think that says a lot about her. Everyone who meets Arliyah comments on her ability to put 100% into everything, never take no for an answer, and never act as though her life is harder than anyone else’s.
Courtesy of Hailey Brown
That being said, this girl DOES have to work ten times harder than everyone else does just to achieve the same results. Some days Arliyah screams and cries because she wishes she could see and that life was that bit easier for her. Numerous times, I have sat with Arliyah and we’ve cried together, grieving the loss of her vision together.
Courtesy of Hailey Brown
Mackenzie is quite different than Arliyah. She is my little princess ballerina girl. She has a huge personality and is the sweetest thing you’ll meet. Mackenzie struggles with anxiety around her vision loss so she’s had to have more therapies and more early intervention than her big sister. Reagan plays a huge role in this household. He really is a big brother to both girls and helps them, guides them, and describes things to them as needed. Watching Reagan grow up with such acceptance of differences and disabilities is by far the most invaluable attribute a person could hold. For us as a family, learning to appreciate life has been the greatest gift of all.
Vicki Miller Photography
Courtesy of Hailey Brown
I sometimes do imagine what my life would have been like had the girls not had albinism. When you have a baby, you never imagine the possibility of there being anything ‘wrong’ with them so when do you receive a diagnosis, you always going to carry that bit of grief for what you’ve lost. I know there is no way I would be the person or mother I am today had our journey not been the way it is. I truly am grateful for that because it really has opened my eyes up to a world I might not have known ever existed. All in all, the girls are healthy and happy and I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Vicki Miller Photography
Reagan is currently awaiting an autism diagnosis, Mackenzie starts kindergarten next year, and Arliyah will be moving up to grade 3. Our journey is far from over. I know there will still be so many bumps in the road along the way. I never could have imagined myself being a mother of children with special needs and having my life revolve around therapies and specialist appointments. That is the crazy thing about life, I guess. You never know what to expect and you really do need to just roll with the punches. If I could share one piece of advice, it would be knowledge is power. Never forget that.”
Vicki Miller Photography
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Hailey Brown from Australia. You can follow their journey on Instagram and their website. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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