“He labeled her ‘severe.’ Over the next weeks, I cried, I drank. One day, I just decided. This little girl didn’t need a mama paralyzed with fear. She needed a mama ready to take action.”
‘You should prepare for lifelong care.’ Her little face made my heart go pitter-patter. I knew what we were in for.’: Couple adopts girls with autism, cerebral palsy, ‘Our family is complete’
‘Her heart’s on the wrong side.’ She held the tip of my finger. We thought we beat the odds.’: NICU survivor diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, ‘One day she WILL walk’
“We were having a baby 6 weeks early. ‘I need to hear her cry!’ I entered the world of the unknown.”
‘I saw a 5-year-old being transferred to an institution. ‘We might not get him in time.’ He HAD to be ours.’: Couple adopts special-needs children, ‘Every heart needs a home’
“Our baby had his first open-heart surgery at 3 days old. The timing couldn’t have been worse for adopting someone else. We began the process shortly before heading back to the hospital. Every child deserves a chance.”
‘She’s alive. I should be grateful.’ But I wasn’t. I was angry. I did everything in my power to ‘fix’ her.’: Mom to daughter with Cerebral Palsy shares journey, ‘I focus on what she CAN do’
“I was wheeled next to her incubator and remember seeing her full head of hair. But I didn’t feel happy. I felt helpless. I couldn’t hold her, bond with her, or breastfeed her. I remember thinking, ‘What do I do?’ I went to Dr. Google for answers, and that just led me into a downward spiral of despair. How could I raise a child with special needs? I didn’t even know how to raise a typical child.”
‘You can do it. You’re Norah’s mom after all.’ Our future changed. The weight of the day was so heavy.’: Mom honors late daughter with nonprofit, ‘Where there’s grief, there’s hope’
“At night, the hospital halls became so quiet. We made beds out of chairs, cots, and window ledges. Hospital living and doctor offices became our new normal. But every moment was filled with love.”
‘Two generations ago, I would have lived in an institution.’ There’s a buzz in the air. A new day is approaching in the world of disability!’: Wife of man with cerebral palsy becomes disability advocate, ‘Let’s crack this dialogue open together’
“I was the most apprehensive, uneasy person he ever met. Me. The person who went on to marry him, and have kids and a life with him. Very simply put, I got over it. The chair, the speech impediment, all of it. I’m happy I got brave enough to get to know this whole and magnificent human.”
‘Your handwriting is a complete disgrace.’ I was livid! ‘This should have never happened.’: Mom and daughter with learning disabilities speak out against mistreatment, ‘Respect instead of judging’
“‘It’s all in her head. I can teach her how to write properly; it’s just pure laziness,’ they said. We got home and cried together. Nobody, from what I could tell, caught what he said. I spoke up. I was livid!”
‘What will my child become?’ My differences were thought of as less ‘cool.’ I was the target of bullying, both verbal and physical.’: Man with cerebral palsy says ‘you are more than the struggles you face’
“Once I made my way to middle and high school, things became a struggle. A disability is a difficult diagnosis, yes, but it isn’t the be-all, end-all of your story.”
‘Out of left field, the man asked, ‘Ma’am, will she ever be normal?’ Fighting back tears, my 5-year-old climbed on A.J.’s wheelchair and look him straight in the eye.’: Woman adopts child with cerebral palsy, ‘Life has never felt more complete’
“I got the phone call that would change our lives forever. ‘Her mother was found deceased this morning.’ We asked, ‘How would y’all feel if A.J. stayed with us forever?’ The two girls’ bond is like I have never seen. She doesn’t see A.J as ‘different,’ she just sees her baby sister. I don’t think any of us could imagine life without her.”
‘My husband divorced me after my baby was born. At 28, I had to move back in with my parents as a single, special needs mom.’: Mom to daughter with Cerebral Palsy finds new perspective on ‘true happiness’
“Emily was only 2 pounds. She was so small my husband’s wedding band fit around her tiny wrist. She was crying, but I could not hear her. It didn’t seem real. Quickly, I was told by nurses, ‘You cannot touch her.’ I felt helpless. With each day, it became more and more evident my marriage was not going to survive this horrific ordeal.”
