My Journey Raising Sheamus: From Struggle to Strength

In 2010, I became a full-time single parent to my son, Sheamus. He was just a year old when I was awarded full custody. His mother had visitation rights, but due to her battle with drug addiction, those visits stopped. Tragically, she passed away in 2022 from an overdose. Sheamus never really knew her, and for a long time, I didn’t speak of her. I carried that weight quietly trying to protect his innocence and preserve our peace.

By age 3, Sheamus was diagnosed with autism. Later came the diagnoses of ADHD and epilepsy when he turned 10. Each label brought its own set of challenges but also clarity, direction, and a deeper understanding of how to support him.

The years between 2010 and 2020 were the hardest. We were flat broke, struggling with the kind of poverty most people don’t talk about. There were nights without heat, mornings without hot water, and times we had to choose between the bus fare to therapy or food for the day. We lived off love, grit, and determination. The system wasn’t built for families like ours, and yet we made it work one bus ride, one taxi, one IEP meeting, one ER visit at a time.

I remember pushing strollers through snow, chasing down late buses to get to appointments, and sleeping in hospital chairs while Sheamus got tested or treated. It was exhausting. It was isolating. But we never stopped.

Now it’s 2025. Sheamus is 16. He’s 5’4”, 125 pounds, and thriving. He’s funny, artistic, and deeply intuitive. We’re about to start a new chapter: parent-led homeschooling. I’ll be teaching him not just academics, but life on his terms, at his pace, in his space. It feels full circle. From the chaos of our early years to the calm we’re creating now, every part of this journey has shaped us.

I tell this story not for pity but for perspective. Autism parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. And single parenting through it, especially when facing grief, poverty, and broken systems, takes more than strength it takes soul.

We made it. We’re still here. And we’re still rising.