A Leap Towards Healing Olivia!

“Wow! Look at that...she looks like you Maria” said Ashton. “The eyes are yours.” I said. Finally, the wait for our biggest gift was over. I had delivered a beautiful daughter and my joy knew no bounds. However, I was in excruciating pain! Pregnancy comes with its own pros and cons. “Look what I got for our little angel!” said Ashton as he opened the steel storage cupboard in our hospital room. He pulled out a pink coloured soft linen for our newborn. “Looks good.” said I as I closed my eyes. I was way too fatigued to respond to anything. I went off to sleep immediately.

The next day, as soon as the doctor permitted us to leave, my husband hired a taxi from a company in Hemel Hampstead and the driver arrived right on the given time. He made sure that we and the baby were comfortable and made us reach our home on time. As soon as I entered the house, what I saw was unbelievable! There were pink balloons and ribbons all over the place and my sister and friends welcomed me with an exclamation of “Surpriseeeee!!!” I was very happy. “It was my idea...” said Ashton as he smiled. “I knew it! Thanks you so much Ashton. It means the world to me” said I as I gave a peck of kiss on his cheek.

The posters of “Congratulations! It's a girl! were all over the house. Ashton always made it a point to make me happy. No matter what. Inspite of his hectic schedules as a solicitor, who advised people on getting wills in Norwich he would manage and implement plans out of nowhere! During that party, we also decided to name our baby girl “Olivia”. It was quite obvious. She had light green olive coloured eyes and striking features resembling her dad's.

 

 

My dad was a dentist in Whitton and as I idolized him, I too had decided to study dentistry. I had studied quite hard and had finally taken over my dad's clinic in Whitton after he passed away. Ashton, needless to say, was my client. We fell in love, got married and here we are, with the most beautiful asset we ever owned! I had taken a break from practicing dentistry after I was 7 months pregnant. Ashton and I had decided that we will always make sure that our daughter was fine and had divided tasks amongst ourselves.

To my biggest surprise, Ashton, who hated cooking had also taken up tasks of making food when I didn't feel well. He browsed several recipes and as he loved Indian cuisine, he also used to order curry spice mixes online and made amazing dishes for himself. I didn't fancy spicy food much. Moreover, it would create acidity problems for Olivia as I fed her. She was my world and the center of my world.

When Olivia turned 6 months old, something seemed strange about the way she responded. She didn't use to smile when smiled at. She never used to babble. I often used to wonder why. I had also spoken to Ashton about it. “Don't worry hon. You expect too much. She is too small to respond the way you want.” He often used to say. Being a doctor, I thought something for sure, was not right. Olivia soon turned a year old. Still she didn't respond to her name. I used to divert her attention by calling here with claps, finger taps and toys. Still...no response. This is it. I thought. I googled about Olivia's symptoms. All the symptoms, directed me to one word. 'Autism'. Like ever parent, I was not ready to believe that my precious daughter could have this disorder.

I decided not to tell Ashton about it until she was diagnosed with Autism clinically. One day after Ashton left, I called my mom at her office. My mom was a software engineer in a firm that created iXBRL softwares according to HMRC standards. “Hello mom, sorry to disturb you...could you please give me the number of dad's friend who is a renowned psychiatrist in our area?” “Yes darling, sure. But can I know what's wrong? Are you alright? Is Olivia alright?” she bombarded me with questions. “It is urgent mom. Please give me the number...I will call you later to explain what the situation is.” I noted the number in a parchment of paper and fixed an appointment with Dr Murray. He specialized in giving psychological treatments to children.

I stormed off in my car with an year old Olivia in her baby seat. As soon as I reached the clinic, Dr Murray welcomed me quite warmly. “So good to see you Maria.” He said. “You were a baby when I saw you last. And now you are here with your adorable baby. What a delight!” He exclaimed. “Tell me how may I help you.” He further added. “Doctor Olivia is a year old and she is not responding to things like she should. I feel she is an Autistic child.” “Okay, we will conduct some tests to examine her. But I have a request. Never say she is Autistic. Say...she is a child with Autism.” “It is one and the...”

“No. Autism is not an abnormal disease, it is not a disability. It is a condition which can be cured with time and therapies. And the good news is, the earlier you get the treatment, the better it is!”

I was quite happy with the way Dr Murray responded. After a series of tests, he told me, “You are right. Olivia has Autism. But I promise you that if you bring her to me for therapy everyday, you will definitely see her progressing” I was sobbing. “What could have gone wrong doctor? I took so much care about everything.” “It happens.” He said as he held my hand. “But you know what, these children are the way every child should be. They behave in the way that is appealing to them. They are honest and true to themselves. Isn't that how every child should be?” He asked. “Yes” I said. “Thanks a lot doctor. I will get back to you soon for the therapies.” I said as I left the clinic.

I was crying throughout the way. I talked about this to Ashton on phone. He couldn't believe what I said. He had always been there for me. When I reached home. He was already there. We hugged and cried. He gave me all the strength to raise Olivia with this condition. “I am with you. Come what may!” He said. He kissed Olivia's forehead and lulled her to sleep. I can't wait for the therapies. I can't wait to make my daughter the best. This is my first leap towards healing Olivia and I truly, can't wait...