special needs. RÉSUMÉ
Connecting with other special needs moms has helped Amanda Lang cope with her daughter's diagnosis.
AGE 44 HAILS FROM Richardson LIVES IN The Lakewood area of Dallas ALMA MATER Southern Methodist University SIGNIFICANT OTHER Michael, husband of 16 years—they went to junior high and high school together but didn’t date until they reconnected at SMU. OFFSPRING Daughters Neely, 10, and Virginia, 6. “I specifically wanted two girls—I was terrified of having boys!” CAREER Working for Yves Delorme for 20 years as a store manager and now sales representative
STOREFRONT: NOUN PROJECT
mom next door /
AMANDA LANG rolling with the punches WORDS PHOTOGRAPHER
K E L LY W O O L E Y
K O R E N A
BOLDING SINNETT
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IFE IS FULL OF UNCERTAINTIES for us all, though some people’s lives are fuller than others’. Amanda Lang’s older daughter has been healthy since birth, but worries about her younger daughter began almost immediately. Fast-forward almost two years and more questions than answers, and the Langs finally received a diagnosis for Virginia: Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological disorder with no cure—and total uncertainty as to what Virginia’s future might hold. But the family’s daily life is far from doom and gloom. In fact, Lang’s marriage has strengthened since Virginia’s diagnosis. “We both admit it’s hard, but it’s really changed us as people,” she says. “Our relationship is stronger because we know that we’re in this together.” Meanwhile, their older daughter, Neely, has grown into a confident, independent dfwchild.com / september 2020
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