Susy Parker's daughter, Sarah, was diagnosed with ADHD and Anxiety when she was just six years old. Months later she was also diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Saving Sarah charts her family's roller coaster journey over an 18 month period from diagnosis, to the consulting rooms of various specialists, it tells of their confusion over the conflicting medical advice they received, and finally explores Susy's decision to quit the medications and discover her own way to save her daughter and their family
"As a mother, it almost broke me as I watched my daughter, my first-born; my beautiful baby girl, spiral out of control. I had no idea how to stop it; it was like a relentless fire burning through our home and destroying everything in its wake.
Behind the perfect family façade, my family was being torn apart as Sarah struggled with ADHD and the side effects brought on by the drugs. Sarah was medicated, I was depressed and anxious, and my marriage and dreams of a happy family were crashing down around me.
We tried different types of medication; various parenting styles and listened to the conflicting medical advice about how to 'fix' our daughter. We spent thousands of dollars, until one day, broken, depressed and at rock bottom, I found my strength and realised that I had to fix it; I had to make everything right.
The day that we stepped away from all the advice, the drugs, the tests, the opinions, and the labels was the day that we saved our family, it was the day that I saved my sanity, but more importantly, it's the day that we saved Sarah.
Two years on and Sarah's future looks very different. Instead of struggling through life, she is now thriving. She is brave, she is resilient, she is strong and kind, but most importantly she has taught all of us that even in the face of adversity, you can rise up and shine.
The journey wasn't easy. It took courage, patience and strength, as I went against all medical advice and took the biggest leap of faith I had ever taken...and it worked!
I am sharing Sarah's story to let other parents know that there can be another way and that miracles do happen, because a miracle happened to us.
ADHD, it's just a different way to be." - Susy.
