“Your daughter has a brain tumor.”

That’s the toughest sentence I’ve ever had to hear. As I stood in that clinic room holding my 18-month-old child Emily, still groggy from the sedative they’d given her for her MRI, I stared at disbelief at my husband. Tears filled his eyes. The neurologist said a few other things. I don’t remember them.

Getting a serious diagnosis for your child – whether medical or developmental – is a life changing event. During the first few months after Emily’s diagnosis, we cried. We called family members. We set appointments. We doled out medication. We adjusted. We worried. We Googled (note: don’t Google ganglioglioma).

I longed for a community of other parents whose children shared Emily’s diagnosis. However, getting connected to the resources, programs, support groups and other services for families with children with special needs proved difficult. There wasn’t a guide or a resource directory to be found. So, we muddled through on our own.

In 2006, we moved from Alabama back to my hometown of Little Rock, and I accepted a job as editor of Little Rock Family magazine. A year or so later, it dawned on me that I now had the ability to create the tool for families that I’d so desperately needed when Emily was so sick. I pitched the idea of a bi-annual supplement to Publisher Jeff Hankins. I wanted it to be full of first-person narratives about what life was like raising a child with special needs. In the back, there would be a comprehensive directory of resources, programs, clinics, services, support groups – anything that would make life easier.

Bear in mind, all this happened in 2008 at the height of the recession. Launching a new magazine was risky business in a good economy. I promised him that it would be a huge success (gulp!) and that it would be snatched up and read by anyone who had ever loved a child with special medical or developmental needs. Thankfully, he let me run with it. And so Little Rock Special Family was born.

That first issue was such a labor of love for our team. Account Executive Jamie Mabry, who has two nephews with autism, was so passionate about it that she would tear up during meetings with potential advertisers. I spent hours on the phone with parents, asking them to be brave enough to write their children’s stories. Most of those conversations ended in my own tears of gratitude for the families who were willing to take the leap of faith with us. Art Director Waynette Traub lovingly photographed each child we profiled. I still think those photos are some of the most touching I’ve ever seen.

When the issue finally hit stands in March 2009, we held our breath. Had we really done what we set out to do? Would it have the impact we’d hoped for? And then the emails started coming, and I was humbled beyond belief:

“I loved the Little Rock Special Family section. I have two kids both with completely different challenges. It was comforting to read other parents stories. I felt inspired, comforted, and at times found a huge lump in my throat. I love that this insert will occasionally appear. It made me thankful for my life and made me realize I am not alone.”

“I can’t tell you what memories this brought back for me. You really nailed the emotions, while keeping this upbeat and heartfelt. Thank you. It’s always nice to remember that we are never really alone.”

“As the mother of a child with special needs, I have six words for you with regard to the first edition of Little Rock Special Family ... Thank you, thank you, thank you! Their stories of fear, sadness, determination and love are our story as well, and I enjoyed reading each story and realizing we all have so much in common even though our children’s diagnoses are different.”

Holding that first issue of Little Rock Special Family in my hands is still one of my proudest moments.

All told, I oversaw the production of nine editions of Special Family. Each and every one turned out to be a labor of love. I enjoyed meeting the families, hearing their stories, seeing the smiles on the faces of the children, and knowing that this little magazine was truly making a difference in the lives of families.

I’m so proud of the great work that Team Little Rock Family continues to do on behalf of families with children with special needs. It was an honor for me to “give birth” to Little Rock Special Family, and I’m tickled to death to watch it continue to grow. I hope this edition gives you whatever you need most, be it a laugh, a lesson, a smile, a good cry or a companion.