Goodbyes are Hard

It's been almost 2 years since Ian got his ECO 2, aka his communication device.  At the time, we were quite frustrated because he had this amazing (and expensive!) device and no one to teach him to use it.  (If you're like us before we learned differently, we assumed that he would be able to use it as soon as he learned where all the words were located.  However, he is learning language just like a toddler learns to speak.  It's quite an arduous task for a 13 year old!) I called Purdue and other places but couldn't find anyone who could help us.  And then we found Courtney!  She is a speech pathologist and is very gifted in her field.  Prentke Romich (the company who makes the device) sent a rep to train Courtney on the ECO and she has gone above and beyond to learn how to use it and how to best motivate Ian.  She has worked with Ian for over a year and he has made tremendous progress in using his device.  I wish I had a video to show how excited he gets when he sees her every Monday morning.   He LOVES her!!  The sad part of this story is that Courtney and her family are moving to PA next week.  We are excited for what God has in store for them but sad for our loss.  Ian will start with a different therapist next week, but there will never be another Miss Courtney.  We have been blessed by her enthusiasm, knowledge, creativity and love for Ian!