Friday, July 16, 2010

Special Needs Children, Divorce, And A Race for a Cure


There is plenty of research out there that sets forth very disappointing statistics about couples with special needs children and divorce. Children put strains on even the happiest of marriages. Couples have a much higher likelihood of divorce if they have a special needs child, whether that is a child with mental or emotional special needs or a child that has been diagnosed with a disease such as cancer. There is no question about the devastating effects that the stress involved with caring for a child that has needs above and beyond what is considered "normal" can have on a marriage. Trying to keep things together emotionally and financially when caring for a special needs child can break the proverbial matrimonial back. Perhaps one of the ways that we can focus on keeping families together is getting to the root of diseases such as autism and cancer and doing proactive things to find cures. Perhaps if less pediatric diseases existed, less couples will end up in divorce court. That's why foundations such as Noah's Light Foundation are an essential part of keeping families together. The focus of Noah's Light Foundation is finding a cure for pediatric brain and spinal tumors. Finding a cure for such diseases can have a ripple effect which reduces the divorce rate in this country. While some couples may still end up in divorce court regardless of whether or not their children are healthy, I truly believe that reducing stress in people's lives does increase happiness which ultimately leads to less divorce.

To read more about Noah's Light Foundation, see: http://www.noahslightfoundation.org/

2 comments:

Jessica said...

Honestly speaking I'm not in favor of divorce . If you committed marriage from the start then remember your words , for better or for WORST, till death do us part. :)

Anonymous said...

I guess I am one of the few women out there that actually got screwed not only by her ex but also by a female judge. In short, we have 50/50 custody, 1 wk with him, 1 wk with me, no more, no less. Because he "chose" to work PT instead of FT and was equiv to making $55k a yr and only making $20k at time of divorce I have to pay him $341 a month in CS and I pay for 1/2 of after school care. Seriously men!!! I work a regular job and pay my own bills the right way and still I got SCREWED ROYALLY. Also, hired a court appointed Social Worker which even stated our child would be better suited with me FT vs his dad but the judge decided to ignore the case workers judgement that she was hired to give...go figure..Judge Kimberly Fernandez I believe was her name SUCKS and so did my atty Ellis Faught! So my ex is too lazy to get off his fat butt and is allowed to "milk" me and that is our family law at its best...SO you see men, the court system is not always in the favor of the mom.. as you can see.