By Mase Scarlet
In June 2022, when Brennen Wolfleg was 18 months old, he came into the care of Liana Wolfleg, and up until then, mostly his great grandmas were taking care of him until Liana’s family had a meeting to see who would be able to take in Brennen. In an interview with Siksika Media, Liana spoke about her decision to take him in, “Why wouldn’t you want to take him into your care? Not only was he my nephew, but now that I’ve had him for three years, he’s a part of me, I know him better than I know myself,” she said.
Brennen has disabilities including hypotonic palsy, autism, epilepsy, global developmental delay, and a rare genetic disorder called “ATR-X,” making him 1 in 151 that have this rare disability. Liana shared that, “Most kids that have ATR-X don’t live past 4, very few live past 30. He’s a medical guy. He has asthma and is immunocompromised, any little cold he gets, we are back in the hospital. He’s non-ambulatory, he uses a wheelchair, and he’s fed through a J-tube in his stomach, and he has hearing aids,” she said.
Nationally, March is recognized as Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, and currently Brennen is 5 years old. Liana expressed that she doesn’t regret taking in Brennen because he has so many incredible complexities and that he’s doing things that you couldn’t imagine him doing beforehand, and the first powwow they took him to was in 2022. Liana shared, “He got really excited and he started kicking his legs really fast and wanted to hang out for a bit, but there were too many people because we were in the stands and it got too hot, so then we left and he just fell in love with it. So, any powwow we could go to, we go! His first outfit he grew out of pretty fast, but his second outfit lasted for quite a bit,” she said, and in 2024 he got first place in a disability special for 700 dollars in Tsuu’Tina.
Liana also expressed an interest in events that are more inclusive to kids with disabilities while also supporting the parents, “He heals people around him and we need to start supporting our kids with disabilities more. There’s other kids in the nation that aren’t as complex as Brennen, but have different disabilities, and we need to support them and figure out how to help them. We need to support them in schools. We need to support them at home, and we need to support the parents because being a parent of a child with a disability is lonely. I don’t know how many times it was just me and Brennen in the hospital alone,” she said.
Through Make-A-Wish, they were able to gift Brennen a sensory room and fully renovate their house to fit Brennen’s needs, and through Jordan’s Principle they were able to get a van for him. Liana shared, “A lot of advocating and finding loopholes, asking different people and agencies, has been able to get Brennen what he needs, and Brennen was able to start school in Calgary for children with disabilities in 2023. Despite all of these diagnoses that he gets, doctors can always be wrong. He’s a fighter,” she said.
Mary Bigbull, another community member, also shared, “My son was recently diagnosed with autism. We have always known, but hearing the diagnosis brought a full set of emotions. Grieving the life we thought he’d have and accepting the life set out for him. Regardless, he will have a great life; it’ll just look a bit different. Having a child with autism brings a sort of isolation you didn’t know existed. You parent differently and everything in life changes to fit what’s best for your child. You don’t fully understand it unless you are in it. Being a parent of an autistic child comes with great things but also a lot of challenges. Some days are bright and beautiful, and others are dark and chaotic. Either way, you must learn to roll with whatever it brings and accept it. Isaiah is a beautiful boy who has already made such a huge impact on those he knows. It’s been difficult trying to navigate support as the hoops to jump through seem endless, and at times discouraging. I think our reserve would greatly benefit from support for kids who are neurodiverse. Support groups for parents, activities targeted for kids like mine, and maybe even financial support to help with the cost of food or cost of activities that our kids may enjoy. Our kids may not be able to play sports or join teams, so having similar financial support that sports receive should be just as accessible for us. My son may not play sports, but he loves going to play places, trampoline parks, and being inclusive in that way would be great for families like mine. Some days we parents feel like we are drowning and all we look for is a little support and understanding, for someone to say, “I see you, I hear you and I want to help,” she said.
Lastly, Liana had this to share, “His conditions give him a lot of challenges, but my baby boy is a fighter. Brennen has a lot of these conditions listed above, but that doesn’t stop him! He’s out there tearing up the dance floor at any powwow he can. He may not be walking, but he sure can wiggle everywhere. His smile brightens any room he goes into. He is super verbal! It may not be with words, but he yells, wiggles his eyebrows, has the biggest side eye in the world, and his laugh is just amazing,” she said.
As our community continues to grow and care for one another, we are reminded that every parent and child with a disability deserves to feel supported and understood. Creating spaces for support groups for parents with disabilities is one way we can come together with compassion, strength, and dignity—ensuring no one feels alone in their journey.
Thank you.
