MOM LIFE
Meet LaJoy Johnson-Law
BY PJ FEINSTEIN
What do you love about the
work you do?
What’s something that makes
juggling motherhood and your
Advocates for Justice and Education (AJE) is the career a little bit easier?
federally mandated parent training information
center under Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). AJE helps empower
families to advocate for their children. There is
no greater advocate for a child than their parent
or guardian, and I love how AJE helps parents
navigate the D.C. education system and ensure
that parents have the information and tools
necessary to best advocate for their children.

What do you love about being
a mom?
OCCUPATION: Parent
support specialist at Advocates for
Justice and Education
LIVES AND WORKS:
Washington, D.C.

CHILD: Abria, 8
Do you know a local parent who
juggles multiple priorities while
managing to make a positive impact
in their community? Nominate them
as a subject of our Mom/Dad Life
column by emailing us at
editor@washingtonfamily.com. 48 Washington FAMILY JULY 2020
I love the fact that I am a mom, period. It is
a miracle that I am a mom. My daughter was
born at 23 weeks weighing 1 pound, 6 ounces.

The doctors said that she wasn’t going to make
it, but I knew she would. So watching her love,
laugh and grow into the beautiful little girl
that she is is the best gift I could have ever
asked for. Even though there have been many
health challenges, my daughter is here. I am so
honored to be Abria’s mom.

What do you find challenging
about raising a child with
disabilities? My daughter has chronic lung disease,
epilepsy and a developmental delay due to
her extreme prematurity. I think the biggest
challenge is being financially stable. I have
lost many jobs due to putting my daughter
and her health first. Abria has many inpatient
visits, outpatient doctor visits, therapy
appointments, and she has often been too
sick to go to school. It is a challenge balancing
a work schedule and my child’s medical and
therapeutic appointments.

My motto is “Abria comes first in every-
thing that I do,” and I pray to God for him to
take care of the rest. Things were so bad at
one point, I even got a writ of eviction, and
my daughter and I were about to be homeless
because I was not able to work due to taking
care of her healthcare needs. It has definitely
been a struggle, but we are here.

My mom and godmother! Thank god for their
support. They have been my rock and help
me balance out the many things that need to
be done. My daughter also has an amazing
IEP team at her school, Rocketship Legacy
Prep, and she has an amazing medical team at
Children’s National Medical Center. All of this
combined helps tremendously.

How do you take care of your
mental and physical health?
I love going to the gym and taking Zumba
classes and exercising. My gym has a child
care center, so it is a blessing to be able to
take Abria with me when I go workout. I
love music, and I will often dance to
music around my home to keep my happy
spirit. I also love bubble baths; they are
so relaxing and calming. I love lighting
my candles, playing my calming music and
taking a bubble bath. I also wake up each
morning and say a little prayer, and before
Abria and I go to bed we say our prayers.

What are five things you always
carry in your purse?
My keys, wallet, makeup bag, phone and my
daughter’s spacer and medicine.

What advice would you give
to other parents with children
who have disabilities?
My advice is to never stop fighting and
advocating for your children. They need your
voice. You are the best advocate for your child.

Take it one day at a time and build a good
support system around you. It is important
that we all have someone we can reach out to
if we need help or just a shoulder to cry on.

Remember to take care of yourself so you can
be whole for your child. T
Read our extended interiew with LaJoy
Johnson-Law at WashingtonFAMILY.com



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