Graduation (The Battle with Orthostatic Dysregulation)

Four years ago
my son transferred to a correspondence high school.
And today, he graduated safely.

One morning in his first year of junior high, he suddenly couldn't wake up.
No matter how much I shook him, he wouldn't wake up.
I checked to see if he was breathing over and over again, wondering if... Even when he woke up around noon, he was dazed.

I thought to myself that this wasn't just oversleeping, so I searched online.
What I arrived at was "Orthostatic Dysregulation."
I tried every coping method (folk remedies), but none of them worked.

His attendance days were insufficient, and his report card was marked with slashes.

I found a hospital and took him there.
I felt angry at the doctor's words, "If you can't go in the morning, you should go in the afternoon and study what you missed in the morning," so I went to another hospital. When I had him examined, my premonition was correct.
Orthostatic dysregulation often causes various other illnesses (like gastrointestinal issues), but my son's condition was that his blood pressure would drop all at once in the middle of the night, leading to a fainting state where he couldn't wake up. He started taking medication to raise his blood pressure.

The third-year school trip.
His homeroom teacher said he really wanted to take him, so he explained the school trip schedule to us in the evening when my son was feeling well (after everyone else had finished club activities or gone home).
My son's eyes lit up.
I want to find a way to let him go!
I thought.
After the assistant homeroom teacher took my son to another room, I talked with the homeroom teacher.
When I said that since it's a group activity, if he couldn't wake up in the morning it would be a burden to everyone, he replied, "I will stay behind and catch up by taxi." Anyway, the two of us worked out a plan to make it possible for him to go.

On the day, I was relieved when he woke up in time for the 5:00 AM meeting. He lounged around until the time came, but he departed safely.
There were no problems during the trip, and he came home with a bag full of souvenirs, laughing about how much fun he had.

Now, for entrance exams. Since his attendance days were insufficient, taking exams for private schools was impossible.
If so, public school was the only option, so he started studying.
Thanks to that effort, he passed the public school exam.

However...
His orthostatic dysregulation recurred.
School refusal began.
I brought a medical certificate and an explanation of the symptoms of orthostatic dysregulation to the school, and asked if they could provide some consideration...
The principal, vice-principal, homeroom teacher, assistant teacher, and school nurse
All the teachers said they would provide consideration.
They even changed the school rules a little bit.
"Our school's philosophy is to have everyone graduate."
I was happy.
However, his classmates didn't see it that way,
and he was called a "slacker."
The school tried to explain it to them, but it was completely useless.

Eventually, he started saying he wanted to quit school.
We talked over and over about what he would do if he quit.

My son found a public correspondence high school
and said, "I'm going here."
It seems a classmate from his junior high days said they were going there.
We talked many times about what a correspondence school is like and that it is harder than a full-time school, but my son's feelings did not change.

The following spring, he transferred to the correspondence high school.

Submitting reports, schooling, tests.
He had to schedule everything himself.
Even so, seeing my son become brighter, I felt relieved. He joined the student council and I thought he had returned to his original self, but...

He got caught up in the mess of the student council,
became exhausted, fell into a semi-reclusive state,
and even cut off contact with his childhood friend.

This childhood friend is a very good person and has been supporting my son all along.

He was worried because he couldn't get in touch.

I heard about it from his mother at the local supermarket, and when I casually suggested to my son, "Why don't you try contacting him?" he said, "Yeah, I guess so."

Whether this trigger was good,
or whether seeing him working hard flipped a switch,
he started putting effort into his studies and took the Certificate for Students Achieving the Proficiency Level of Upper Secondary School Graduates because he wanted to graduate as soon as possible.

And
last November, he was certified for graduation,
and today, he graduated safely.

My son's four years in correspondence school
might have looked like wasted time to others, but for him, it was an important time to build up momentum to enter society. It wasn't just going to school aimlessly, graduating aimlessly, and then wondering what to do next; it was an important time when he found his dream.

I feel like I was taught that there is no such thing as "wasted time." My son found his dream.
I want to take three steps back and watch over my son from now on.

"I think it must have been hard for you too, teacher, taking care of a troublesome student like me."

My son, who said that with a smile, looked so
reliable.

I have written down my thoughts at length.
Thank you for reading
to the end.