Communicating with Devotion

Alecia Wall and her son, Mason Tibbs, know about struggle. Mason has Chorea, a rare disease that affects his ability to control the movements of his body. In addition, Mason is almost continually sick, having pneumonia for all but three weeks in 2004. “It’s always life and death with Mason when he gets sick,” says Alecia. But the two share a unique attachment to one another, one that stems from the hours of care that Alecia devotes to her son. She understands Mason’s needs and methods of communication, which is something his teachers still struggle with at school. The devotion she so willingly shows has also changed her life. ” I feel like I’ve lost my youth, not because I’m a mom, but because I’m so worn down.”