Joey was born facing an uphill battle from the beginning. He was diagnosed with at the time Sleep Apnea most likely attributed to his biological mother using drugs during the term of pregnancy.
At the age of 3, upon seeing a Child Psychiatrist specializing in the field of FAS, Bi Polar Mood Dis Orders, Joey was found to have those plus levels of RAD, Developmental Delay and low level Autism. The wonderful woman I married 12 years ago took on a huge task with me and helped me raise Joey to the young man he is today.
5 years ago, Joeys step mother made the suggestion that we should try the Army Cadet Program for him, as it was a structured and challenging program, which children like Joey sometimes excel in because of the structure and the various challenges. Along the way, he became involved in a camp called Peacekeeper Park, a camp program designed for kids with disabilities. It’s then that Captain Bev Bast introduced Joey to the Duke Of Edinburgh program.
He received his Gold Level pin in this picture at the Norfolk Fair as part of the Warriors Day Parade that honours local Veterans & Forces Heroes, young & old.
As of right now, he is on a list to receive his official Gold Award from a member of the Royal Family.
I wanted to share it with your group so that if perhaps a family of someone comes in and feels or says hey I can’t do it, that maybe they can gain inspiration from Joey, who battles his mental illness everyday and with perseverance did something that a lot of people said he wouldn’t be able to do.
We are proud of his achievement and he worked long and hard to achieve all 3 levels of the Duke of Edinburgh, Bronze, Silver, Gold.
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