Precerpt from Raising God's Rainbow Makers: Doah Expects Me to Fix Everything! Really!

Doah is, by nature, a remarkably robust person. He almost never complains. People who know him well often remark on how much discomfort he tolerates without a word.

But there is one situation where his patience vanishes instantly: when he cannot breathe well.

Doah has sensory overload, something first identified by his pediatrician, T. Berry Brazelton, during our Boston Children’s Hospital stay in 1980. Most of the time it sits quietly in the background of his life. But when he is sick—especially with something like bronchitis—and breathing becomes difficult, the overload can come quickly.

And when it does, patience disappears.

The echoes of his earlier airway struggles—the tracheotomy and the subglottic stenosis—are never very far away. Add depleted oxygen levels to the mix (he is on oxygen 24/7 now), and even a routine respiratory illness can push his system past its tolerance point.

When that happens, Doah does not wait politely.

He demands that I fix the problem.
Now.

Maybe because he is so robust, he expects problems to disappear quickly. Two bouts of COVID-19 lasted exactly three hours each (after administration of Paxlovid, which we obtained the first hour, thanks to an engaged doctor). I give him a pill--and everything is fine. 

But it does not always happen that way, and usually it is because of sensory overload. He cannot pay attention to one thing while fussing about another. Sensory overload occurs when a person has to process input from multiple sources of information: seeing, hearing, feeling. Too much! One stream needs to dominate for him if he hopes to stay focused; otherwise, his brain jumps around, his hyperactivity level rises, and, if he is stick, he wants something or someone to "fix it."

So, when he hits overload and demands I fix it right now, I do what I’ve done for decades: slow everything down, help him breathe, and give him one clear thing to latch onto. It’s our little dance. He thinks I’m performing miracles; I’m really just being his mother.

Book Description:

Raising God's Rainbow Makers

A Family Memoir of Grace, Grit, and Growing Up Different

What happens when a military family welcomes four children—each with wildly different needs—into a world not always built to support them?

In Raising God’s Rainbow Makers, one mother shares the remarkable journey of raising two children with complex disabilities—one with spina bifida, one with CHARGE Syndrome—and two intellectually gifted children, all born in different states during years of military life. Through medical crises, educational challenges, and societal roadblocks (both intentional and unintentional), this honest and inspiring memoir tells the story of how one family built a life of strength, compassion, and resilience.

With warmth and unflinching honesty, the author reflects on emergency surgeries, IEP battles, unexpected victories, and the fierce sibling bonds that formed in the face of it all. The children—now grown—bear witness to the power of support, faith, and never giving up.

This is not just a story of survival. It is a celebration of difference, a chronicle of hope, and a powerful testament to what love and determination can build when the world says "impossible." 

Keywords:

Parenting memoir; Special needs parenting; Raising children with disabilities; Military family life; Family resilience; Inspirational family story; Faith-based memoir; Coping with medical challenges; Sibling support stories; Gifted children; Spina bifida; CHARGE Syndrome; Hydrocephalus; Congenital disabilities; Complex medical needs; Pediatric neurosurgery; IEP and special education; Gifted education; Educational advocacy; Inclusive education; Hope and healing; Courage and strength; Love and perseverance; Raising different children; Disability acceptance; Parenting through adversity; Overcoming barriers; Finding joy in hardship; Special needs journey; Family unity and support; For parents of disabled children; For parents of gifted children; For educators and therapists; Christian parenting memoir; For families facing rare diagnoses; Real-life parenting stories; Memoirs about raising children; Stories of medical miracles

 

For more posts about Elizabeth and her books, click HERE. 

Read more stories -- and photos -- about the Mahlou family in the blog (no longer maintained), Clan of Mahlou.

MSI Press, a veteran-owned publishing house based in California, United States

best known for turning new writers into award-winning authors,
has gained mass recognition for releasing highly acclaimed books of varying genres
that are distributed internationally. Check us out on Wikitia.

To purchase copies of any MSI Press book at 25% discount,

use code FF25 at MSI Press webstore.

Want to read an MSI Press book and not have to pay for it?
(1) Ask your local library to purchase and shelve it.
(2) Ask us for a review copy; we love to have our books reviewed.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OUR AUTHORS AND TITLES.

Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter: get inside information before others see it and access to additional book content

(recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, links to precerpts/excerpts, author advice, and more)

Check out recent issues.

 

 

Follow MSI Press on Twitter, Face Book, Pinterest, and Bluesky. 

 

 

MSI Press welcomes submissions that reflect legacy and lived experience. Learn more about our publishing process on our website. We help writers become award-winning published authors, one writer at a time. We are a family, not a factory. Check our listing in Writer's Market, the most trusted guide to publishing.

Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform yet? If you have a strong manuscript, San Juan Books, our hybrid publishing division, may be able to help. Ask us. Check out more information at www.msipress.com.

 

Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our author au pair services will mentor you through the process. See what we can do for your at www.msipress.com.

Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com.

Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.

Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.

Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.

Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.

   

MSI Press is ranked among the top publishers in California.
Check out our rankings -- and more -- HERE.