Elayne Vick

It’s a terrible shock when a young child’s sudden affliction takes over five lives, including his own. When the boisterous boy fell ill at two and half and never recovered but went on to become a profoundly handicapped adult, his mother’s life and his were welded together. After 52 years, Elayne Vick’s true story about her family has finally been memorialized in her book, “Disrupted Lives.”

The bolt from the blue began with uncontrollable seizures her son suffered, all accompanied by devastating brain damage. By 11 his continual seizures and behavior needed management at a place far from home. At 32 finally he moved to the community, where he is now at 52. He has become a sociable person with acceptable behavior and fewer seizures. And the rest of the family? They keep him in their sight. His mother advocates for his every move.

Elayne earned a college degree in journalism and writing and for 22 years worked as a professional writer all while being a champion and supporter for her son. Upon retirement she began to write a memoir about him and all he had gone through, what the family had experienced, and how she learned to be a strong, knowledgeable advocate for her son. The memoir combines the story with valuable information about how to manage guardianship, apply for government resources, and set up an estate plan for an intellectually disabled child. Also included is a section with the history of the Texas State-Supported Living Centers for mentally handicapped Texans. Many families could use the information for their disabled children who grow older, as they do, every day.