College Prep for Lucy and the Angels who Showed Up

Preparation for sending kids off to spread their wings starts early. I mean, from the time kids are born, we are teaching them and they are learning from the world around them. But Lucy’s college prep (the specific way she was determined to spread her wings) started in earnest about this time last year. It was filled with all kinds of miracles and angels too. And oh how I want to remember this journey.

It’s funny that a few people, in the lead-up to college for Lucy, looked at me wide-eyed when they realized Lucy was going off to college.

Alone.

Especially when they realized Lucy would be living with mainstream students who didn’t have their own special needs. They wondered what we were doing letting Lucy go to college and told us so. Couldn’t she use another year at home? What about a blindness prep school for a year? I think they thought we must be pushing this business, and was Lucy really ready?

We had to laugh at that, because boy oh boy were we not the ones in the driver’s seat. Lucy is one determined little lady, and it was college or bust for that girl.

This is great and all. I mean, I admire Lucy’s grit with all that I’ve got. She is so incredibly brave and she’s a wonder. But that didn’t mean that this journey has been easy. Because I’m here to say that Dave and I were on the wide-eyed-what-in-the-world-are-you-thinking bandwagon sometimes too.

Some Impossible Things Lucy has Done

Sure, when she sets her mind to things, she has done them. High school dances? Scary business for us parents. But she made them happen. Being on the high school basketball team? Impossible. But Lucy did it. Get a job when you’re vision impaired? Oh she tried. And when nothing worked out, she started her own cookie business. Yes, we have wondered and marveled at so many things Lucy has set her mind to and done.

But it’s not an easy journey. And there have been shifts and changes along the way. And not a little hand-wringing and sleepless nights.

Lucy, you may know, at first had her heart set on going to Boston University. Isn’t it so interesting that of all my kids who I tried to cajole to head to Boston like I did all those years ago (I went to Boston University for my freshman year and it was one of the best things I did), Lucy was the one determined to make that happen? And you can bet she applied and put her heart into that application. But thank heavens we visited Utah State as well, and found the beloved disability center and all the goodness there.

College Applications

So Lucy got to work on college applications. It was really difficult for her to maneuver so many things on her computer, so I was on call quite a lot. The two of us worked for hours on prep, scholarship applications, research, how would this work.

Ok, she doesn’t LOOK like she’s working in this picture below, but she was my driver for sure. And I treasure this time together as I sit in my now empty kitchen, her grit and determination echoing through the walls.

You can bet she did turn in an application for Boston University and looked up the results every day.

No luck on that one, but she did get into Utah State which was a pretty exciting day.

That’s the head of the disability center on the right above, an angel who has showed up over and over again in this process. Can you see it in his face, and Lucy’s too?

College Prep

Dave and I kicked into gear to help with college prep. The S.O.A.R. program she attended for three weeks in Missouri was one of the biggest blessings we could have asked for. She learned so much and for the first time started to admit she has a vision impairment. Something about being surrounded by those other awesome kids who also suffer from vision loss.

Learning how to Give and Injection

This was one of the most amazing miracles in our college prep journey:

Dave taught Lu to give herself the shot she takes each week for her syndrome. We have worried about this for years…how can she be independent when she cannot administer her own medication? And how in the world could someone with a vision impairment as well as low dexterity see well enough to know how to place and inject a shot without getting hurt? Well, Dave found a way. And Lucy learned it. And there aren’t words to express what a huge thing this is. Means for a lot of celebration.

Bedding and College Gear

Alongside things like learning how to administer an injection, Lu and I had a lot to do to help her feel emotionally and physically situated for that college prep camp. Even stuff like finding a blanket that felt right for her to bring is a big ordeal for this girl. But we did it!

A New College Computer

It was a journey all by itself to get Lucy a computer she could take to college when she turned in her high school special version for vision loss.

SO GRATEFUL for this angel and his company who helped us through it all and came over to train Lucy on multiple occasions to be ready.

And Lucy didn’t look like that all the time. I’m talking the big smile. There were plenty of times where she was just mad at the world and couldn’t learn much. But she (and he) did come out triumphant and that is another pretty beautiful miracle.

We did all the college orientation online modules together:

(I love that USU does this, such a great way to prep for college.)

We registered for her first college classes which couldn’t be done from her high contrast, super enlarged screen:

I LOVE that you can see her award she earned for doing the “Impossible” at our family reunion a few years ago. It’s sitting there behind her on her nightstand as she plucked away at doing the next looming “impossible”…signing up for college classes.

I finished all the Harry Potter books (as her high school graduation gift), and we had some pretty good discussions about those suckers:

College Orientation & An Angel Who Showed Up There

Lu and I had a bright and early morning drive through the canyon from Bear Lake one day before our reunion for her in-person college orientation. Anticipation and hope oozing out of Lucy.

I was nervous as all get-out for this girl AND I believe angels were watching out for her.

One in the form of a lovely freshly returned sister missionary we met when we were both lost trying to find the shuttle. It turned out she sat next to us in that cavernous dark room (with a slideshow) for the “welcome” ceremony.

And when they told us the students were to go to another room my heart started to sink. Could Lucy do this? But this awesome angel we met took her under her wing and they walked out together talking with smiles. My heart wanted to sing at that sweet, kind gesture.

I am so proud of Lucy. So grateful she’s willing to put herself in this very uncomfortable spot. So grateful for her grit. She can’t see anything and it was so dark, she knocked into a table despite using her cane and my heart felt like it was going to be ripped out. Over and over again. We hadn’t set her up for accommodations for this and would she be learning anything?

I sat in that huge room with all the other parents, worried but trying to be brave like Lucy.

I loved this visual below, but could we really “X” out the parents in this college situation like the other students? Could she really do this?

Despite the first angel of the day, Lucy’s hopes were a little dashed after that orientation.

She couldn’t see anything they were talking about and felt very “unseen.” Luckily the second angel showed up in the form of the head of the disability center.

We didn’t think to make an appointment but miraculously he got out of a meeting just in time to meet with us. Put Lucy in his chair to show her computer formatting. He went over every accommodation with her to make sure it made sense.

He saved a day that had been going downhill fast, and I tear up even now thinking about it.

Other Angels Who Have Showed Up

As I mentioned before, and as you blog readers have shown up doing, we’ve all been praying for angels.

And I like to keep track of them.

From my siblings talking Lucy through things at our reunion:

Nana and Papa having us over for a last dinner to friends showing up to cheer Lucy on:

Her dear cousin/friend who has been with her since day one…after her mom and I begged and begged our husbands for just one last child. And now they’re off to college!!

Oh these two have been the best additions to our families!

To Elle taking the time to show Lucy how to use AI to read her a strangely formatted paper so she could write an essay before even school started:

(Can you see Elle on the screen up there?)

To others putting in last-minute cookie orders to fill her last days home:

She was surrounded by so much love. And even more in these last few days at home…

Last Days with Lucy at Home

Lucy had a pile of gift cards she’s collected through the years. One of her most important things on her to-do list before she left was to have me take her to each place to find out how much money she had on each. I don’t know why this was so important, but I went with it just so I could hold onto having her in my car, reminding me about my seatbelt, telling me things she may not tell me when she’s far away.

Her biggest delight came at CircleK when she got to spend her $10 gift card on her favorite junk food. Oh that girl was beaming at that special stop.

The Lasts:

• Last Homemade Harvest cookies delivered. This has been the best little business for this girl to manage and orchestrate. So very grateful.

• Sitting at the dinner table with Lucy’s favorite Greek wraps (thanks Sayds), I will miss her delight when I make her favorite meals and pull out our dinner-time question game.

• Bike ride to see the sunset sweltering in the oppressing heat. Her sunset love is tangible, although you can’t quite see it in this photo…

• Hair trim, Dave begging me behind her back with hand motions to cut off two feet, Lucy making me promise it would only be a “trim.”

• One last trip to her beloved (and my dreaded) Firehouse subs. Where we got in a little fight. Oh boy our emotions were high. And one last session trying to figure things out on the computer:

• Lucy taking Bo to bed from our bedroom after a little prayer together…”beholding” her in the doorway cradling that dog she loves, how can it be possible all of this will vanish?

• One last visit to the temple with her beloved Tonia and more figuring-things-out to prepare:

Game Nights

Our last two weekend nights we had back-to-back game nights with our friends in honor of Lucy. She baked cookies for them all and everyone just loved her up. I am so grateful for these villages of true angels who joined us to make these nights so special. Lu was pleased as punch when she won the last game and gave us a mic drop, peace out.

Game Night Number One

Game Night Number Two

Lucy’s Last Night

We had a sacred conversation sitting at the kitchen counter late, late on the eve of leaving home. Just me and Lu. Because she needed her fingernails painted right then, and I was not going to turn that down. She spilled out her heart sitting there at that counter and we held each other up with love.

And then we were off.

Off on that grand new adventure awaiting her arrival.

I wrote about the very beginning of the journey, but more to come soon. She is still there. And is still learning in impossible ways. And I can hear the angels surrounding her in the form of random strangers as she asks for directions across campus while we’re talking on the phone.

It’s a rocky road filled with boulders at some points. But she is doing it. And shining through all the ups and downs.