Williams Syndrome Smile

by Vanessa Coggshall

Hi! I’m Vanessa. I have a husband named Dan and three kids–Charlotte, Emmy, and Theo.

Things I love:

my friends and family (naturally)
writing
photography
iced tea
the ocean
talking to other people about shared experiences

I started Williams Syndrome Smile with these intentions in mind:

to encourage compassion for others–especially for those who have special needs
to share my story with kindred spirits
to develop a creative outlet for everything that has been swimming around in my head

Feel free to send me an email at: williamssyndromesmile@gmail.com. I promise to respond. When I was a newly-diagnosed parent, I was very confused about my daughter’s diagnosis, and I felt completely alone and afraid. I immediately thought of the website of a very popular blogger who also has a child with special needs, and I reached out to her right away. I spilled out all of my feelings, desperate for someone to just say, “I understand.” But I never heard back, and it took me a while to figure out where else to turn. I’m positive that she gets a trillion emails a day, so I can’t hold it against her. But I don’t want to ignore any email that comes my way because I know how alienating this experience can be–at first. So if you want to reach out, please do, and I will respond!