Grant’s Last Day at Brain Balance (And Why I Wasn’t Ready for It to End)

I didn’t expect to cry the way I did on Grant’s last day at Brain Balance.
But I sobbed.

Not quiet tears. Not composed tears. The kind that comes from deep in your chest — the kind that surprises you, even when you know something meaningful is ending.

Grant completed 60 sessions.
We started the program in July and finished in early January. And as proud as I was — as hopeful and relieved as I felt — I also wasn’t ready for it to be over.

Which feels ironic, considering how long this road has been.

Our Journey Began Long Before Brain Balance

Grant’s story didn’t begin in July.

It began when he was a baby. He started babbling around seven months, and then the babbling stopped. By fifteen months, he had only a handful of words — maybe one to five on a good day. That quiet pause was the moment we realized we needed to lean in.

From there, we did what so many parents do when something doesn’t feel right: we asked questions, sought support, and showed up.

We started with Infants and Toddlers and worked with them for about a year and a half. Grant was assessed for an IEP at two and a half and diagnosed with a developmental delay. We participated in county recreation programs. We worked with PALS. We did speech therapy and occupational therapy through Kennedy Krieger. We even explored pelvic floor therapy.

We tried.
We committed.
We stayed consistent.

And I won’t pretend it was easy. It was emotionally heavy, physically exhausting, and mentally draining at times. There were moments of progress and moments of fear — moments where I questioned whether we were doing enough, or the right things at all.

But through every phase of it, Grant kept going.

What Brain Balance Represented for Our Family

By the time we started Brain Balance, we had already done so much — and yet, something still felt unfinished. I felt this pull toward supporting Grant in a more holistic way, helping his body and brain work together more efficiently.

Brain Balance wasn’t about “fixing” him.
It was about supporting him — and giving him tools.

What I didn’t anticipate was how much he would lead the process.

Yes, we got him there.
Yes, we kept him consistent.
Yes, we supported him every step of the way.

But Grant is the one who did the work.

The Progress Was His

This is the part that matters most to me.

Grant showed up.
Grant tried.
Grant pushed through challenges.
Grant didn’t give up.

He moved the dial.
He progressed.
He improved.

This wasn’t something that happened to him — it was something he actively participated in. Watching him grow more confident, more regulated, and more capable over time was incredible.

That’s why I say this feels like his medal.

The Day That Felt Like Graduation

On Grant’s final day, I expected a simple goodbye — maybe a photo, a few hugs, and that would be it.

Instead, they surprised us.

They put him in a small graduation cap and a sash that said “graduation,” and I completely lost it. You would have thought he was graduating from high school, not finishing a program.

Because this moment wasn’t just about completing Brain Balance.

It felt like the culmination of years of advocacy, therapies, consistency, and hope. Years of believing in him even when the road felt uncertain.

And there he was — smiling, proud, standing tall — having done it.

Looking Ahead With Gratitude and Hope

This journey isn’t over.

We’ll continue with monthly check-ins. We’ll keep doing home exercises to maintain continuity. And I’ll be sharing more about Grant’s post-assessment results soon — what they look like, what they mean, and how they guide us moving forward.

But for now, I’m sitting in this moment.

I’m incredibly proud of this boy.
I want him to be happy, healthy, smart, and strong.
And I truly believe he now has more tools to do just that.

I’m deeply grateful for Brain Balance.
And I’m endlessly grateful for Grant’s resilience and determination.

This was his win.
And watching him earn it has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.

To read more about our journey at Brain Balance, 🧠 ✨
Check out our three-month update blog 👉 https://thecolumbiamdmom.com/blog/brain-balance-columbia-three-month-update

You can also read our Unlocking the Treasure Chest blog 👉 https://thecolumbiamdmom.com/blog/brain-balance-columbia-1000-brain-bucks-milestone