Thanks for Going the Extra Mile

Two weeks ago, I helped host a Special Needs Holiday Party. I had Santa and Nana Claus lined up to make their appearance about 3 p.m. I had told Dominic that they were coming ahead of time, but since I have never taken him in the past to see them, I was a little apprehensive how he would act. I took Lauren to see Santa a handful of times when she was little, but I guess I thought that Dominic wouldn't be able to handle it, so I never even attempted it. When Santa and Nana arrived, I went over to them and introduced myself because I had never met them in person, we had only corresponded by e-mail. They were so sweet and were circulating around the tables talking to everybody. When Dominic saw them, he decided to get as far as he could away from them. We had a large group and there were many that wanted to sit on Santa's lap. I was busy taking pictures and every so often, I would look over and Dominic was still on the other side of the room. I explained to Santa that I didn't want to push Dominic too much to sit on his lap because when he's really stressed he is more prone to seizures. As the party started to wind down, Nana Claus was able to coax Dominic over to where she and Santa were. She put a chair about 10 feet in front of them and got Dominic to sit down. The whole time she was explaining what she was doing. She and Santa were finally able to get just a few feet behind Dominic and I was able to get a picture!

Santa and Nana Claus, thanks so much for going the extra mile and being so patient with Dominic. It meant so much to me!!

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