Hi! Welcome to #thrivingonthedifferentlines !
My name is Aditia Fitri. I was a medical doctor in Indonesia, and I went to the Netherlands to conduct a study about genetic conditions. In my home country, the knowledge and understanding of genetic conditions and disability is relatively “new”, either in the society or in the medical system itself. In the Netherlands, the support system, medical, education and society approach for people with disability is already relatively established. Therefore, I went to the Netherlands to learn more about this.
By a twist of fate, I currently live in the Netherlands, as a stay-at-home mother/caregiver of a son with disability and genetic condition. It was a huge process for me to integrate, not only into the new role as parents of a child with disability, but also to engage in a new culture, language barrier, different social construct, and navigating the jungle of medical and social support system. But one thing I knew, is that I want the best for my child, and I will explore this labyrinth of different lines, and set up a thriving environment for my child.
The supports and attention for the child with disability is growing and developing world widely, also in the Netherlands. However, the care and supports for parents of a child with disability is less visible. When a child is born, the parents are reborn as well. The parents, with all their love, have to (learn to) carry/setting up the care of their child, maintain the financial security of the family, while at the same time deal with their emotional process, coping, grieving, and surviving, and lack of social support. Adding integration and language barrier in this, further complicate the search of better care and future for child with disability and their family. Currently, there are limited English resources about how to find help support for disabled children in the Netherlands.
Therefore, I created this website, as an English-resources for (foreign)parents of children with disability to share the journey together, the challenges, the beautiful moments, and the system navigation. No matter what your backgrounds and your children condition is, we share the same goal: to find the best for my child. We want to thrive together even though we live in different lines and spectrum of conditions and backgrounds.
So, you are always welcomed in this place! Let’s start the journey together!
Greetings,
