From the moment Tegan was born, mom could tell she was different. As a baby, Tegan would get very upset and wasn’t easily soothed. Mom knew she would grow up to be a more sensitive child compared to her peers. 

At a young age, Tegan was diagnosed with ADHD,  generalized anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder. School was not easy. She would come home crying, overstimulated by the chaos of elementary school and worried she wasn’t doing enough. 

Mom says, “Tegan would do everything she could to behave at school and then blow up at home.” This is common for individuals with anxiety. The fear of misbehaving in front of others, performing poorly, or being constantly compared to peers leads to heavy masking and mental strain. Without the proper tools to regulate emotions, someone like Tegan, a child, then experiences a meltdown at home after a long school day. 

Because of this, Tegan’s behaviors weren’t considered “disruptive enough” by the school, and she was no longer eligible for services during school hours. To help relieve some of Tegan’s overwhelm, mom pulled her out of public school and she was homeschooled alongside her older sister, Piper. 

Mom stated that Tegan started showing interest in occupational therapy (OT) from seeing her sister attend. That is when mom reached out to Family Hope Foundation for help. 

“In this economy with such high grocery bills and gas prices, as well as the cost of health insurance (our insurance does not cover any OT costs), we would not be able to afford OT services without Family Hope Foundation. OT is a lifeline for Tegan. Without it, Tegan gets very stuck emotionally, academically, and socially. This only feeds her depression and anxiety. Tegan needs OT to even begin to tackle her bigger obstacles.”

Therapy has given Tegan something to look forward to. Every week she gets very excited to see her occupational therapist. She has so much fun and feels much more relaxed after going.

Tegan’s meltdowns overall have decreased. She has an easier time being social and attending events outside of the home. Before OT, Tegan was secluding herself a lot to her own bedroom. Now, she enjoys going outside and playing with friends, as well as going to church and other outings.”

Tegan is now back in public school this year! Mom says, “she is definitely tired and still gets overwhelmed, but she also has an excitement about going that wasn’t there before.” 

Tegan still loves OT, and she even advocates for herself when she is overwhelmed. Just the other day, she got overwhelmed from school and asked mom, “Can I go to OT soon?”

We asked mom what the word HOPE means to her. She said, “To me, HOPE means having the ability to look to the future with some positivity. When you are raising a child with ADHD and anxiety, it can be easy to feel alone. HOPE means having a community on your side, knowing that you aren’t alone, and that there are others out there who ‘get it’ and who care.”

At Family Hope Foundation, we aren’t just offering financial support. We are working to provide a community for those who need it. We want families to know they aren’t alone. 

We get it. 

P.S.  Tegan is an animal lover, and she dreams of working with animals one day! With a therapy scholarship sponsored by the C. Norman Fry Fund, Mom is excited to see Tegan continue to grow in her confidence and live out her dreams.