Page 60 - Port Douglas Magazine 29

The Miller family

S: Although business was booming, those were the S: When we finally got the funding through services were there trying to find somewhere to
dark days. We didn’t really know what we were Autism Australia, we were able to get him an send her. It was heartbreaking. Mike looked at me
doing and trying to balance home life and work occupational therapist. Even though his brain is and said, ‘We’ll take her’. We would have taken
life was practically impossible. We had three small high functioning, he couldn’t hold a pencil or ride here there on the spot, but obviously the process
and boisterous children, shoeboxes full of receipts a bike. My sister suggested we try equine therapy. was far more difficult than that. With the memory
and literally no time to do anything. We were He was 4 years old when we first put him on a of this little girl in mind, we thought this year was
scrambling trying to come up with websites, social horse, and he loved it. He bonded with the horse, the year to start getting the foster care paperwork
media training, wedding orders. We’re not fools, he bonded with the trainer and with the heavy together, so that by the end of the year we’d be
we’ve worked in hospitality for a long time, but sensory nature of it. He’s even fallen asleep on the ready to take on foster parenting. Again, not
we really needed to learn to outsource. We were horse several times. It’s the decompression time, really how it worked out – foster care agencies are
so far in it we couldn’t see anything. It was around and many kids don’t get that anymore. so desperate for assistance, and we got the phone
this time we noticed Waylon was different to the call to take on a child imminently.
other kids. We didn’t know what was going on,
and I just thought we weren’t being strict enough M: We look at our kids and think they’re happy.
on him. He was so different to Beau and Luke. I’d started telling Mike about Port We’re not wealthy by any stretch of the means,
but our kids live a pretty great life. To think there
Although not a toddler, he behaved like one. He Douglas and how wonderful it was. are others out there that haven’t got quite as good
couldn’t regulate his emotions and he appeared
to have sensory issues with light and noise We had planned to arrive in May... a deal is heartbreaking. We’ve got three, why
and stimulation. We had him on diets, tests for not make it four? We know what we’re made of.
everything, until one day during an assessment a our plan was to stay for six months And although the training was very confronting,
we know we can make a difference. It’s all about
psychiatrist said, “He’s autistic and he’s brilliant”. for season, then move to Melbourne, breaking the cycle – a lot of these kids come from
She’d done an IQ test and he came back in the
gifted range. She explained to us his brain simply then back to the States ...We got in a long line of moving around from foster care
didn’t turn off. To Waylon, it seems like Friday here in May, but I was pregnant by home to parental home and back into foster care,
night Carnivale every moment of the day, while some with the worst of case scenarios.
he was also trying to learn letters and numbers July… so we stayed. S: And here I was, feeling bad that Beau didn’t get
and the over-stimulation was extraordinary. He the lunchbox he wanted to take to school, when
started ‘stimming’ – making repetitive noises to others had almost insurmountable challenges. I
calm himself down. I’d be rocking him for hours feel like we worked so hard in order to get Duke’s
on the bed to keep him calm. He needed to have M: I then did something crazy and decided to Doughnuts up and running, but did it really
heavy sensory experiences – weighted blankets, a take a day off and discovered our world didn’t make a difference to anybody? Don’t get me
dark room, noise cancelling headphones, heavy wrong, we love our community, and we love what
touch. We thought as soon as we’d have the come crashing down. So, this year we decided to we’ve created – people come and make Dukes
diagnosis, someone would be able to give us the take two days off a week, and it’s been the best Doughnuts their occasional or weekly treat, it’s an
tools to help him. thing for our family and for our business. experience. They come to the markets, buy fresh
M: What I wish they’d tell you is that there is no S: But we seem to thrive on chaos. We’d been fruit and veggies and a doughnut or two, have a
magic pill. You just need to learn what his triggers talking about foster care for a long time. When chat - it’s really lovely. We believe if we can work
that hard on bloody doughnuts, then we can work
Waylon was born, there was a little girl in the
are, and those triggers will change at any time. I
wish they would give you the heads up that you NICU who didn’t have any family. We were that hard to make a difference to a child.
just need to adapt. desperate to get home and couldn’t, and she was dukesdoughnuts.com
ready to go home but no one came. We kept asking
the nurses if anyone had come for her, social
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