Since I was 11 years old, Melanie Dyer has been my best-friend and one of the most important people in my life.
Having found her soul-mate, her husband Luke, Melanie set about the process of starting a family. After what appeared to have been an easy pregnancy, and as her due date was approaching, she began to feel that something wasn't quite right.
Unable to feel her baby moving she raced to the hospital, resulting in a traumatic birth for both mother and child. Melanie would soon learn that her son Matthew has been starved from oxygen, due to the umbilical cord being wrapped around his neck twice.
After being sent home with no instructions or guidance, Melanie and Luke were left to watch and worry as their child appeared significantly delayed in his development and displaying a slew of physical and behavioral abnormalities.
Knowing that something was very wrong and with no clear guidance from the medical professionals, Melanie and Luke started their own research quest to try and understand what was going with their son. It wasn't until discovering a video on YouTube that everything became clear to them.
In today's episode we discuss Melanie's birth experience, Matthew's subsequent diagnoses and the reality of raising a child with special needs.