When your child gets an unexpected diagnosis, kind and knowing people send you the “Welcome to Holland” poem. The poem, which many people like our family find comforting, describes what families of individuals with unexpected diagnoses experience.
It references the surprise detour of visiting Holland instead of Italy. A trip to Holland represents a new and different future after an unexpected diagnosis, while a trip to Italy represents a now lost future and lost old hopes and dreams.
Our family found out we were going to Holland instead of Italy in the middle of our flight. We were, metaphorically speaking, ready to land in Italy when the plane went wheels up, and we changed course to Holland.
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