Dear CAN community,
Five years ago, our lives changed forever. Our son Lando was diagnosed with autism.
From a very young age, Lando didn’t like the water. He wouldn’t even let us get his head wet in the bath. He’d physically block me or scream.
We do a lot of watersports as a family in Peachland, so Lando needed to learn to swim.
When I enrolled him in CAN Swim, I didn’t know how it would go.
At the first session, Lando didn’t want to let go of my hand. But then it was like he realized that he was with CAN and in a good place. The way the staff interacted with him was just so wonderful. They had clearly read about his interests and were prepared with visuals that would motivate him. It was like they knew Lando before even meeting him.
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The CAN staff could sense Lando’s agitation before it came on and would pause in the water and play a game with him. Their approach to get him back to swimming was phenomenal.
Seeing him gleefully splashing blew me away. He’d look over at me to make sure I was watching with a big grin on his face. He then started asking to stay in the pool after the lessons. He even jumped in and got his head wet.
We’re now excited to introduce him to waterslides and no longer worry about our trips to Peachland.
CAN programs aren’t just for the child, they are just as much for the parents. CAN allows me to let go of the stress and the unknowns and just relax and enjoy – something I haven’t really experienced in the last 5 years. I could never even read. But at CAN swim, I could actually read a book!
I still can’t believe Lando went from not being able to get his head wet, to jumping off the edge of the pool. If it wasn’t for CAN Swim, who knows where we would be today. CAN didn’t just give Lando confidence, they gave him a lifesaving skill.
Thank you,
Tiffany, a CAN mom
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