We were lucky to catch up with Amanda Harpell-Franz recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
Being a 6th generation pastor’s kid, it is in my DNA, as well as how God has made me, to care about God hearing the cries of the poor and vulnerable. Though initially I started going to University to “help people” possibly through nursing or psychology (part of my human plans), I quickly found that God had the beginning of his first and best plan for me.
I still remember one volunteer Friday night at my University in British Columbia, as we were giving out hot chocolate and connecting with people who were homeless and struggling on the street, that God had wired me a certain way. It clicked with me that many careers can “help people,” but I was realizing that I had a way of being able to connect with where someone was at in their most vulnerable and basic-needs state and being able to come alongside them. To not react but be present. I was shocked to realize that not everyone found this easy or that they were not drawn to this. I naturally found how necessary it was/is to give mercy, and help break down how to move towards health into easier most tangible steps when things felt overwhelming for someone in crisis and/or trauma. I loved that those who are most vulnerable had a way of being real, authentic and raw, opening my own personal journey to also be more like them. They were helping me in the process of me helping them become more who we are meant to be.
Thus began a huge leap of faith. I changed schools/countries completely, coming back down to the U.S./WA state from Vancouver B.C. Canada (My mom American and dad Canadian). I had grown up in the United States but went away to Canada for a couple years of school. They did not have a program for Social Work at the school that I was at, thus, spurring me to start at a new school for my bachelor’s and then ultimately completing my Masters in Social Work. Along the journey, my major areas of internships and jobs have been in Child abuse/neglect field, Human Trafficking/kids exploitation, those who are social economically varied but impacted by domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse.
My favorite work up until now was as a Child Forensic Interviewer, interviewing children who were witnesses or victims of crime (mainly sexually abused), with a trained service dog. The certified service dog through Canine Companions helped kids talk about the unthinkable, in a trauma-informed way, by a non-cop (though I worked with all law enforcement agencies in my capacity as a social worker), by way of recording. This reduced how many details kids had to share in court against their abusers. I would testify to the interview and show the recordings. The dogs could accompany kids to court to testify on basics. I also loved my work as a Sexual Assault Advocate, meeting kids and adults in Emergency Rooms when reports of abuse came in and needed advocacy through possible sexual assault. Accompany them to court as needed, helping them receive protection orders and resources to help keep them/their kids safe. My job as a Supervisor of Court Appointed Special Advocates, giving voice to children to judges/commissioners who had to determine parenting plans and ways to protect kids. Protection and listening to what kids think and experience has been and continues to be my clear mission from God.
Amanda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am currently an MSW (Masters of Social Work) teacher/homeschool mom to 7-year-old, Evan. My faith informs me how to serve the world, and at this time, there could not be a better place to be than with my son. I will never regret these years and have no idea how long I will remain his main teacher and advocate.
Though Evan has multiple disabilities, Autism and his anxiety, along with his physical disability Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, Evan has an incredible way at teaching others and showing Autistic people are creative, empathetic, and refreshingly honest.
I enjoy educating and sharing our story with others, the ups and downs, to help make this world ultimately a better place for Evan and those like him. To better understand Autistic people, individuals with strengths and challenges, and who this world misses out on greatly when they do not listen to them. I enjoy supporting Special Needs caregivers and those who come alongside our journey who are shocked when they realize their child or family member might also have a disability. Many parents are burning out and feel isolated, needing to be reminded that they and their children are doing well. Those who need to hear: Listen to your intuition. You know your kid better than anybody!
Have you ever had to pivot?
Evan’s is a vibrant and loving child, who makes my world and the world in general, an incredible place. He was also born with strokes manifest as seizures at birth (bringing about Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy diagnoses), followed by an Autism diagnosis from the Seattle Children’s Autism Center at age 4. The following year, he received both an Anxiety and ADHD diagnosis. Evan continues to be monitored by a Child Psychiatrist and attends aquatic Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy weekly. Evan has been in Occupational, Physical, Speech, and Feeding therapies.
Needless to say, my career path has required a major recalibration. As Evan’s parents, it is a priority for Evan’s therapies, and now school needs (being in a Homeschool/Parent Partnership Program through an Alternative Learning Environment), for him to have me primarily with him due to his unique needs. He is thriving by us pivoting from traditional school. For Evan, engaging with other kids in a smaller classroom format (outdoor class right now) and taught at home the rest of the time. In general Education/public school with the sensory processing challenges (sound and amount of kids) was too over-stimulating for him. This year, Evan received a service dog “Kalvin” through Canine Companions, our family going through a two week training process after Kalvin was ready to go with training at age 2. We learned over 50 cues/commands for Kalvin, Kalvin helping Evan with anxiety/social connections in public but also with physical demands (Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy component). Evan brings Kalvin with him to school (parent facilitator of pup), medical/dental appointments, church, cub scouts and could even fly on the airplane with Kalvin. Many of these settings were unattainable for Evan with his needs before Kalvin.
Though I can wonder and miss (especially getting paid) in the social work field, the level of skills that my son is teaching me daily and that require flexibility, this is the best “career” that I have ever been in. I had to take that leap though, just like I did years ago to get into the field that I am in. It is not easy, but worth it!
I learn every day from Evan, what it means to be fully honest. Aware of my body and it’s needs. I am finding that Evan is helping me grow confidence in areas I never thought were areas that I could blossom in. What a gift!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
We were proud foster parents of 2 young brothers under the age of 4 so far, promising to always love and pray for their futures. We hoped to foster and adopt at some point. We decided to also try to have our own biological children first, before diving back into the foster/adoption world, after grieving losing “the boys.” Enter-our Evan.
My water broke at 36 weeks and 5 days. Evan was ultimately born later at 36-6, one day later. So much of Evan’s birth was a blur, in that I was pushing with Evan, and that I knew at some point, the doctor said that Evan was losing oxygen, which ultimately we found out that he also had a knotted umbilical cord that may or may not have impacted this loss of oxygen in the blood. After multiple attempts at traditional birth and Evan already being in the birth canal, the doctors ultimately rushed us into emergency C-section. This was after 2 tries with an epidural because I was told that my pain tolerance was high and it appeared that one side of the body was more numb than the other. Once in the C-Section room, I was given a spinal tap. I was not told how it would feel or that I would be numb (especially chest feeling numb including into my upper chest), so I had a panic attack, feeling like I could not breath. The anesthesiologist told me that the sensation was normal, but I was already panicking. I still felt like I could not breathe. I was awake for the C-section and could see doctors struggling to get Evan out, commenting that my stomach was really tight and he was far down.
I cannot even recount how scary this time for us was. Both my husband and I had no idea what was happening, even if our baby was going to be okay or even why oxygen was dropping. Hearing Evan’s heart beat on the monitors in the C section room and my personal faith was what kept me going in that room. I will never forget how Evan’s warm cheek felt on my cheek after he was out, as I was shivering from the shock of the traumatic birth. I felt like I couldn’t get my body warm, no matter what was tried. My baby warmed me on my cheek and then he was taken for observation in the NICU.
My husband and I did not get to hold our Evan until the following day after his birth. I begged to go up to the NICU the next day (both me healing from vaginal and C-section) by wheelchair. Holding Evan for the first time, he had seizures, neither my husband and I even knowing it. A nurse said, “You don’t see it?” We didn’t. It was awful. We know since this time, from our son’s neurologist, that even she would not have seen them without a monitor. The kind of seizures that Evan has presented with to this point, are where his body does not visually move around, rather, getting his attention is not possible after many attempts of different kinds (focal seizures). Lots of professionals quickly flooded his NICU room. After they stabilized him, they rushed Evan down to get his first set of MRI of his brain. We waited for an hour or two to get the results and then my husband and I had to ask if our son was going to live (as we were not told clearly the impact that this would have on Evan’s life). We were told that he was being transported to the NICU at Swedish First Hill Seattle, where we were told that Evergreen had a contract with for neurology. They even had us hug and love on our child before letting him go with a special team by ambulance. We knew what this meant. Some babies didn’t even make it to the next hospital. We prayed and prayed. We had more people in our faith community pray.
31 days our newborn child was in the NICU, due to strokes at birth, manifest as seizures. It is an understatement to say that we valued every hold and connection with our boy, traveling daily back and forth approximately an hour each way. We prayed with him, sang to him, held him, read to him. We were told by teams of neurologists (regular doctors were clearly scared to tell us too much that might be inaccurate) who would make their way through our area of the hospital, that children surviving stroke, about 60% will have permanent neurological deficits, most commonly hemiparesis or hemiplegia.
We will never forget the first time a neurologist showed us the MRI images of “damage” to Evan’s left hemisphere of the brain. Evan also had around a handful of EEG’s, brain electrodes tracking his brain activity, to monitor the frequency and severity of seizure activity in his developing brain. This was also after having him be put on a heavy dose of anti-seizure meds to stabilize him. The neurologist could only estimate potential issues that Evan could have as he got older. Only guesses. Every parent wants their child to be successful and have every chance possible to make a great different in this world of ours. We knew (me being a Social Worker) that long-term disabilities caused by a stroke in childhood could include cognitive and sensory impairments, epilepsy, speech or communication disorder, visual disturbances, poor attention, behavioral problems, and poor quality of life.
There was one night in particular in that hospital room, where I saw my brave son be woken by nurses through the night for medicine and milk. It was clear, just like when I felt God clearly calling my into my Social Work position in the past, a clear calling to GET PREPARED. My life and career were about to change. Nothing in my career was done in vain before this time, but I would need those previous experiences helping other families and kids, to help my own. To better understand those families even more ultimately. I just had a great sense that God was asking me to get tough, which is hard for me with my sensitivities. They make me incredibly empathetic and they can also leave my vulnerable and raw. I was getting ready to grow! And this meant through growing pains. I could feel it. I just knew that this journey would be hard, AND that He would never leave me. He would guide me each step. And he has with our Evan, who is now 7-years-old.
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Image Credits
Amanda Harpell-Franz
Ashley Mae Scott Photography
Jon Kaplan