Now meet Reyhan and learn more about the life course of his family.
Please click on the arrows below to hear audio of each story.
Introduction | Introduction |
Become Dad | Reyhan was excited and anticipating becoming a father. His own childhood experiences and life course had an impact on how he awaited the birth of his son. |
Expectations | Reyhan had joyous expectations awaiting his son’s birth. |
Diagnosis | Shortly after his son’s birth, however, Reyhan’s life and expectations of fatherhood changed as his story intersected with his son’s diagnosis with special health care needs. |
Freak Out | Reyhan experienced a whole range of emotions, but due to his beliefs and expectations about how he should act, he tried to keep those feelings to himself. |
Surgery Update | Reyhan’s son’s surgery thrust him into a whole array of experiences he had not anticipated. His picture of his hopes for his son was altered by that experience. |
Part of the new life course Reyhan had to chart related to reaching out and getting emotional support in the face of the tremendous stress of having a very sick newborn son. His own upbringing, cultural values and life course to that point colored his initial thoughts about letting others provide him with help and support. | |
Support | Reyhan and his wife realized that having a child with special health care needs might change how others –friends and family—might perceive them. These concerns initially limited the support they sought and got. |
Handle Work | His son’s birth and his diagnosis with special health care needs also changed Reyhan’s perspectives about work and his life priorities. |
Providers | Reyhan’s encounters with health care providers as a father were frustrating for him, given his perceptions of the role of a father in a child’s life. Cultural competence in healthcare includes creating services that meet the needs of all members of the family. |
Next Phase | Reyhan’s life course has been changed by having a son with special health care needs. He reflects on that impact and what is coming next for their family. |