Lillian is Ready – Gonna Figure This Out

November 16 2023

There’s no stopping her now! Abdominal ultrasound slayed. Labs from two weeks ago are fine. GI next week, with more labs, and another (different) ultrasound to follow. We are gonna figure out what’s going on so Lillian can fully enjoy this life! I’m just so thrilled Lillian is ready to do this! ❤️🎉❤️

Throwback Post: The Gift of Communication

**THROWBACK POST**

December 2 2010:

WooHoo Y’all! The RN&R article about Turning Views Foundation and Different iz Good came out today! Kat did a great job of condensing the ton of information I spilled out to her!

https://www.newsreview.com/reno/something-to-talk-about/content?oid=1883366

By Kat Kerlin
[email protected]
This article was published on .

Lillian Darnell holds the iPhone that, though speech impaired, allows her to talk through a special app. Her mom, Camilla Downs, stands beside her.

PHOTO BY KAT KERLIN

Lillian Darnell was 3 years old in 2004 when her mother, Camilla Downs, received a phone call from her pediatrician.

“It was a phone call that landed me in a place I never thought I’d be,” says Downs.

Lillian had been born a month early, so Downs attributed the developmental delays she’d noticed to the fact that she was a preemie. But that day, she discovered Lillian had a chromosomal abnormality, so rare it didn’t really have a name: It’s just called 18p-, a deletion of the short arm of chromosome 18.

“The main way it manifests for her is communication,” says Downs. “Everything is in her mind, she just can’t articulate it.” Lillian is about 90 percent unintelligible.

Before this year, Lillian, now 9, had been carrying around a heavy, clunky “augmented communicator” called Dynavox. She actually had to pull it on a cart behind her at recess. Then Downs heard about Proloquo2Go, an iPhone app that could do the same thing, but on a smaller and, let’s face it, cooler device. She bought Lillian an iPhone and had the app installed. Lillian carries it in her purse, which has a speaker clipped to it to make her “voice” louder. There are programmable buttons on it for typical things she might say in class or to her friends, as well as a section for things she could say in emergencies. For other things she wants to say, she can type it into the keypad and press “speak.”

The whole thing cost less than $1,000. Compare that to the $5,000-$10,000 people pay for augmented communicators. However, health insurance and Medicaid will pay for those clunky, expensive devices, but not for iPhones, iPads or iPod Touches that could have apps like Proloquo2Go installed on them.

“There’s no reason these kids should have to wait to have a modern way to communicate,” says Downs.

The school district will provide an iPod Touch or an iPad to the speech impaired, but not an iPhone, which Downs wanted Lillian to have for emergencies. So she decided to start a nonprofit, Turning Views, which encompasses the Different Iz Good movement to help kids like Lillian. Key to that is “Lillian’s Voice,” the recycling program that takes used iPodTouches, iPhones and iPads and gives them to children who are speech impaired or nonverbal. She accepts “last generation” devices, meaning more recent models, as some older ones may not be able to have the app installed on it. Look for “Lillian’s Voice” drop-off boxes at New2U Computers and Mac-O-Rama. (See column note for details.) People can also donate money or gift cards from iTunes or Apple on the nonprofit’s website, www.differentizgood.org.

“People still haven’t caught on that these are more than just phone and music devices,” says Downs. “It’s not just the app itself, but the shift that has occurred in society. It’s a communication revolution, in a way, that includes the nonverbal and speech impaired in a way they never have been before.”

What does Lillian have to say about it? She punches some keys on her phone, looks up, nods her head and presses “speak”: “I like the iPhone.”

News: The Rawness of Being a Caregiver

November 17 2022

The Nevada Caregivers Coalition hosted a webinar last month on Independent Living Options which I missed due to an appointment for Lillian. I listened to it today, and had myself some long overdue sobbing.

Don’t get me wrong. It was an informative and great session. I encourage anyone who is interested to have a listen.

This caregiving role can feel so overwhelming at times. Especially when you are the sole person in charge of deciding what to do, how to proceed, and then doing it. I’m emotionally and mentally exhausted at this point. I’m still recovering from the Great Burnout of 2019 and 2020. 🤪🙃🤪

I’m not sharing for sympathy. I’m sharing for those who may need to hear this message (myself included). It’s okay to not be strong, to have sad days, to sob ’til there are no tears left, to let yourself feel the absolute utter shit show that life can be. Feel that shit, let it out, let it move through your body. I’m with you. 😍🥰😍

Blessings,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.

Amazing news! My 21 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here

Wonderfully exciting news! My 17 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.

 

Throwback Post: Life is Like a Maze – Lillian Darnell

**THROWBACK POST**

I have no idea when Lillian shared this with me. It was either in 2017 or 2018.


(Photo from an October 2020 Date Day with Thomas)

Hey there! Imagine a maze with dead ends and straight lines. Every bad thing that happens takes you to a dead end even if it seems to be leading in a straight path. Every good thing that happens takes you to the correct path. The entrance is you come in the maze as a newborn and the exit is your soul exiting and reentering as someone or something.

I told the shortened version to Camilla this morning and it had just came to me. Think of your life like this and your life should be easier to live. – Lillian Darnell

Blessings,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.

Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here

Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.

Full of Imagination and Wonder – Where Would You Fly Review

Thank you to Helen for this beautiful review of Lillian’s book.

My review for Where Would You Fly? & Other Magical Stories by Lillian Darnell, 5/5 stars.

The first line of the blurb for this book reads:

Welcome to the radiant imagination of Lillian Darnell, a wonderful and unique human being, the kind who comes around only once in every 56,000 births, as she is missing the short arm of her 18th chromosome.

I thought it was the perfect introduction to my review. Her stories are full of imagination and wonder, as you see the world through her eyes from age 4 (written with a little help from her mum, Camilla) to age 16. Some are gentle guides to mindfulness, others to how to be happy, and most are delightful stories with fairies, unicorns, and magic.

I have to admit I found the Emotions and Feelings part particularly touching, where Lillian explores her own emotions while growing up. Her condition, and her journey which led to the publication of this book, are explained in the introduction by Camilla, who is also a wonderful poet, and a beautiful person. Her dedication to Lillian, and her son Thomas, is evident through the stories Lillian has written and the love she has for her family.

Every now and then it’s lovely to get away from the real world and travel to distant lands with mythical beings. Lillian’s book is a wonderful distraction that you can dip into every now and then, and it will put a smile on your face. Many thanks to Camilla, Lillian and Thomas for the chance to read Where Would You Fly?

Go here to see the review on Helen’s website …

#BookReview for Where Would You Fly? by Lillian Darnell

For more information about Where Would You Fly, go here …

http://www.WhereWouldYouFly.com

Blessings,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.

Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here

Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.

Exciting News – Lillian’s Imaginarium is Open

Hey! Hey! Here’s the huge announcement regarding my daughter, Lillian Darnell’s, creations!

I have been working on this for months, with the help of a very incredible friend! Thank you to Kate Raina for guiding me, and getting Lillian’s creations in the proper format for digital printing and professional printing.

There are more items to add, I just needed to get this thing “live” to push myself! If you use etsy, please favorite Lillians Imaginarium. And please let me know if you see anything out of sorts. I have no idea what I’m doing, I just figure it out as I go along. Thanks to everyone who cheers us on, and supports all of our creations. Oceans of love to all of you! xoxo

For anyone new to my blog, Lillian is my 19 year old daughter. She has a chromosome difference called 18p- (which means she is missing the short arm of chromosome number 18). This affects 1 in 55,000 people. This manifests in difficulty with speech/articulation, emotional regulation, balance, and depth perception, anxiety, sensory issues, inflexibility, chronic stomach pain, and pain in general. She will be tested for autism in the near future, which will guide us, and help in better understanding Lillian.

Check it out …

Blessings,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.

Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here

Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.

Reblog: Poolside BBQ for Lillian Darnell’s 19th Birthday – Finally

September 28 2020

Finally got to have Lillian’s poolside BBQ birthday celebration. We weren’t able to do it on September 14th due to the smoke, and poor air quality. Wonderful afternoon hanging out with The Romano Duo.

Go here to see all the photographs ..

Poolside BBQ for Lillian’s 19th Birthday – Finally

Throwback Post: No One Made Her Angry But Herself

**THROWBACK POST**

May 2016

This one made my eyes sweat … Another of Lillian’s fairy tale emotion stories. The morning before she wrote this one, I was in a grumpy mood. Many times she will hook into this and catch a ride on the grumpy wave.

She was yelling at Thomas telling him that they had made me angry. I explained to her that no one made me angry except for myself with my own thoughts.

And then later in the afternoon, I read this story she wrote. As with many fiction stories that are sparked by the author’s reality, Lillian’s have a thread of her own reality running through each one. It warms my heart and causes my eyes to sweat …

I’m thinking that the series that she’s writing will be that book I mentioned she and I would write. I’m thinking Mr. Happy Tree will be the narrator (a fabulous tree that Lillian drew last spring or summer). **December 2020 Note: In fact, this story along with Lillian’s writings from age 5 – 16 years old are included in her debut book, Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories.**

Angry Candy Story

Once upon a time, there lived a red chewy candy who was always angry and her name was Angel. One day, Angel got angry for some unknown reason. Her candy buddies decided to investigate what could have made her angry but first, they had to look for some possible clues.

While they were investigating, Angel met with her candy friend, Sneaky Spice-Rika who was always acting innocent but Sneaky was hiding something from Angel. The investigators found strawberry flavored licorice, spices, and mint candy. So they went back to their club called Secret Detective Club to plan their next step of the mystery.

They put together a list of suspicious candy suspects with other candy suspects to talk to. The candy suspects’ were Sneaky Spice-Rika, Strawbella, and Sugarlicious.  They set out to talk to Sugarlicious first. “I did see something very unusual, odd, and peculiar this morning.” said Sugarlicious, “I saw Sneaky Spice-Rika near Angel”.  So the buddies said,”Thank you”! and moved on to talk to Strawbella but apparently she didn’t see anything strange.  Finally, they talked to Sneaky Spice-Rika and she said she was only near Angel to talk to her. So they went to Angel to get more facts and she said it was to comfort her. So the investigators went on to explain the whole story.

When Angel had heard the whole story, she chuckled and explained to them that no one had made her angry but herself. She also said that she had a bad argument with her candy parents, Coca and Choc. The investigators went back to everyone what they had learned. First, they stopped by Sugarlicious to tell her what she had thought was actually an act of kindness. Next, they stopped by Strawbella to tell her that Angel had been angry and she was made angry all on her own.

Lastly, they visited Sneaky Spice-Rika to apologize about suspecting her. The investigators thanked her for being such a great friend. Angel forgot about being angry and never got angry again. If you look closely, you can see Angel in any chewy red candy you or your friends eat.

I hope you enjoyed this story. Join us every Friday for the newest edition of Emotions With Animals!

See the full story on Lillian’s blog, by going here …

Angry Candy Story

Blessings,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.

Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here

Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.

Throwback Post: One Blood Test, One Phone Call, One Moment in Time

**THROWBACK POST**


(Team TLC – July 2014)

Written in 2014 and 2015

November 2020 Note – This writing does not flow. It appears I came back to this over several months in 2014 and 2015 adding my thoughts. I’ve left it in its original, raw state except for a bit of rearranging so writings about the same topic are grouped together.

One blood test, one phone call, one moment in time; drastically changed everything. I know more about genetics, chromosomes, DNA, motor skills, verbal skills, and now emotional and behavioral issues than I ever thought I would need or want to know. The main way that 18p- manifested for Lillian earlier in life was that she had delays with motor skills, articulation issues, and GI concerns. Now at 13 years old Lillian is very hard to understand when she speaks. She simply cannot articulate in the way most of us can. The shape of her mouth and the inability of the tongue, lips, and mouth to coordinate properly are what cause this. She is a smart young lady and has all the words and thoughts she wants to say in her mind, but simply can’t get them all out in an understandable way.

She has always had anxiety and fears concerning certain issues, had problems with unexpected changes, and an inflexibility with schedules. These issues had been mostly manageable. About the time puberty entered Lillian’s life she had an IEP for transitioning from elementary to middle school. She also came down with a bad cold turned into a sinus infection. All of these proved too much for her to handle and she imploded. So began a turn in this adventure that began so long ago.

I now find myself learning about emotional and behavioral issues and Lillian’s inability to cope with situations that cause her to panic or worry.

In December 2014, Lillian caught a pretty bad cold. At the same time we had just attended her transition IEP for moving to middle school next year. Internally, Lillian’s teenage hormones were making their appearance as she had just turned 13 in September. Illnesses take a harder toll on Lillian, even if it is just a cold. She missed some days of school, went back for one day and then seemed to get sick all over again. Her cold had turned into a sinus infection.

After the sinus infection cleared, Lillian refused to go back to school. This wasn’t just a case of Lillian being stubborn and defiant. I could sense a deep fear and high level of anxiety. I tried to help Lillian through this time by addressing and solving whatever it was that was causing the fear and anxiety. During this same time, Lillian’s ability to cope and remain calm seemed to be dissolving. Whenever her schedule was changed or didn’t work out or things didn’t go as she thought they should, she would go straight into a horrific meltdown with an explosion of screaming, hitting, pinching, and scratching. It was lightening fast with hardly any space between something going wrong (in her mind) and the explosion.

At this point, I decided that I needed professional help. In April 2015, I finally located an acceptable psychotherapist that took Lillian’s insurance to work with Lillian and I on mindfulness techniques, dialectical behavior therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. I know that there are medications to help with these difficulties but my inner compass is very strong in that I am supposed to try the non-medicated route first. I absolutely do NOT judge other parents for the routes they take on this complicated and complex journey. The part of me that would have judged no longer exists, thanks to Lillian and Thomas.

It was (and is) my intention to try to help Lillian be in tune with her body’s feelings and emotions so that she can recognize when anger or sadness are present. And to then have her use mindfulness techniques and emotional connection to connect with negative (and positive) emotions. First and foremost to get her past the point where she feels out of control leading to screaming and lashing out at others (myself and her brother, Thomas).

This is furthering my own mindfulness learning as I must be mindful when Lillian disconnects. I must also be patient, flexible, and learn how to not take words or actions personally. There are absolutely days and moments my thoughts go straight to, “It’s time to look into medication.” However, once the moment has passed so has the thought. As long as we are making progress we’ll continue this path. Although Lillian has not returned to school yet, we are making slow progress. I use the term we as this is definitely a team effort by all three of us.

She had one extremely huge meltdown turned into explosion this past July. We made a quick stop at the grocery store to get a few items. I was a bit overwhelmed as the store was super crowded. I was trying not to forget what we needed and to carry on small talk with Lillian. We took a few minutes to smell the essential oil perfumes and wonderful handmade soaps. Then we chose a gluten free cookie for all three of us. After this, I decided to return an item since we were close to the customer service counter. The wonderfully kind cashier offered to ring my other items since I only had a few. I accepted. Lillian had caught up with me at this point and once I was finished paying, I could sense her energy shift.

Apparently, there was miscommunication between the two of us about Lillian looking at more gluten free desserts. This quickly led to a volcanic like explosion for Lillian with screaming and lashing out at me. Fortunately, I was close to the exit doors, so I made my way out and headed to the car with Lillian screaming and yelling behind me. I quickly got into the car and invited Lillian to do the same if she was going with me. She was not open to doing any of the mindfulness or other techniques we’ve been learning.

I decided to start making our way home even though she had not calmed down. Perhaps not the best choice in that moment. She was scratching, pinching, and pulling my hair from behind. As soon as it was possible, I pulled over, turned to Lillian and screamed some ridiculously outrageous comments, and decided I must get out of the car. We needed space between us as I was in a great deal of pain from the scratches and she was a big hot mess. Once out of the car, I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths, and asked to see the situation differently. I opened my eyes and shining up at me from the rock and dirt filled ground was a beautiful red jewel heart. I knew that was in answer to asking to see it differently and a reminder to always respond with love.

At this point, Lillian was ready to do a calming technique and I requested that she do it on her own. She got out of the car and chose to pick up a couple of rocks and study them. After a few minutes we got back into the car and drove home. We’ve not had anything of that magnitude happen since then and I am hopeful this was simply “one step backward” before more steps forward. When this happens for Lillian, one of us has to be fully present and mindful or things can escalate.

When I pulled over there was anything BUT grace flowing from my mouth. After being scratched continuously, and having my hair pulled from behind from the time we left the parking lot; I lost it. So glad I listened to my intuition to pull over and get out. It was what we both needed. I know when this happens it is not the true Lillian and we are making great progress with helping her to notice, feel, and release emotions (centered around mindfulness).

My feelings are that we are all doing the best we can with where we are in our lives; child and adult. I judge no other parent for how they choose to handle this. That has not always been the case. Where there is Love, there is no judgment. Personally, I want to help Lillian learn NOW how to process emotions so that she has a happy and peaceful life as an adult. So that she knows how to handle things when they don’t go as expected and don’t go her way.

It’s so interesting that for at least 4 years I’ve been talking about connecting with emotions with Thomas and Lillian and Lillian does NOT want to feel sadness. Goes straight from sad, to anger, to deflecting the anger in a split second. We are teaching her how to “listen” to her body for the clues that let her know she’s about to get angry.

I have much to learn from Lillian and she has much to learn from me. I know because she verbalizes what she’s saying to herself. It boils down to this: She’s not in control and she cannot be successful. We are giving her new phrases to replace those: I am in control, I can let this dissolve, I am successful. Along with teaching mindfulness activities and I take both of them through a mindfulness exercise at least 4 times a week. Definitely not an easy path, yet, for me, this is the path of Love.

Two more positive moments from the 2015 Chromosome 18 conference … one night she was having anxiety and worries about going out to eat with her friends (without me as I was having dinner with the moms … ladies night). Worried there would be stairs, worried about going to the bathroom, worried about what to eat, worried about it being too crowded. She was expanding, to use her word. I explained to her that she was expanding and that we could not talk about it and come to a solution in her current state (it was bed time too). She agreed to wait until tomorrow to discuss it. The next day when I brought it up, she said, “There’s nothing to talk about it.”

This happened with one other issue too. And I have used this several times now as it seems she wants to discuss things as we are getting ready for bed. I have been successful at getting her to wait until the next day.

She had a huge meltdown in a restaurant on our last night there. First, it took us half a day to even get out of the room to go to the local library. She slept late and took forever doing her “schedule”. This seems to be interfering more and more with us even getting out of the house. Anyway, after we ordered she began to “expand” about not having gotten to everything she wanted to do while there, being VERY sad and angry about the situation.

She was crying and getting louder. I tried to have her wait until we were done eating to discuss, but she was not in a place to agree. She screamed and pinched my arm. I could not get her to do a distraction exercise so had to resort to helping her resolve the issue so we didn’t have to leave the restaurant with me dragging her out. She finally calmed down. Thomas was having great anxiety during this as he saw all the people staring at us.

Lillian has always had anxiety and worries related to certain situations, venues, and schedules. Some of these are stairs, escalators, people with stern voices, automatic flush toilets and hand dryers, small enclosed areas and big open areas. In addition to a fear of all animals and stuffed animals. Some of this stems from difficulties with Lillian’s proprioceptive system and some from sensory processing issues.

I am still on this journey of attempting to learn Lillian’s nature. I’ve come a long way. What I do know, what my internal compass is rock solid about, is that Lillian’s contributions to humanity will not come forth in the typical way of going to school, graduating, going to college, and getting a job (or some adapted version of this).

And something else I know is that it’s okay if there’s a shift within her and she does go the typical route. I feel she is an artist and her contributions are manifesting and will continue to manifest in this way. As I write this, I realize, she’s got something figured out that many of us strive to figure out our whole lives. How to express oneself. And how to express oneself in a way that benefits humanity and spreads loving-kindness.

Lillian loves and enjoys life. In fact, she is confused when, at her prompting, I or those around her don’t stop what they are doing and BE in the present moment, enjoying life and being happy.

November 2020 Note: This writing turned into a 4,000 word article contributed to a multidisciplinary journal for the Australian Institute On Intellectual Disability, published in 2015. To read the polished and final article, go here …

My Journey With Intellectual Disability and Relationships – A Short Memoir

November 2020 Update – Six years later … We have come such a long way from this time. Thankfully, the severity and occurrences of meltdowns has drastically decreased. Lillian began using botanical oil two or three years ago. That and maturity were huge factors in helping. 

I also wrote a letter to her meltdowns in 2016 that was published by Elephant Journal. If you’re interested in reading that, go here …

Dear Meltdown: Meet My Friend Mindfulness

Blessings,
Camilla
See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!

“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.

Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here

Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.