| I am guessing if you are reading this article you either | | | | be focusing a lot of time on helping this person. Katie |
| have child with Cerebral Palsy or know someone who | | | | could not walk by herself until she was eight years old. |
| has this condition. If you do not know what Cerebral | | | | But my wife and I decide we would not put her in a |
| Palsy is, I will tell you in layman's terms. It means brain | | | | wheelchair if she could at least walk with help. They |
| damage. The damage can be either so minor that it is | | | | have a therapy called Conductive Education. We sent |
| hardly noticeable or it can be severe mental and | | | | her to Canada three times for five-week courses. We |
| physical damage. My daughter was born with Cerebral | | | | actually raised the money to send her, and for us to |
| Palsy because while in the womb, her intestine twisted | | | | stay with her, by holding garage sales. We would hold |
| causing my wife and her to be under stress. Katie had | | | | one every weekend in different locations for two to |
| six strokes before she was born. The damage | | | | three months. We would tell people the garage sale |
| caused her to be partially paralyzed on the left side of | | | | money was being used to help Katie get to the camp. |
| her body. | | | | Do you know that people would bring us stuff to sell or |
| Now this article is about how my wife and I dealt with | | | | tell us to come by and pick up stuff. You may not |
| raising her. Recently, I joined a personal development | | | | believe this, but I had a sixteen-foot horse trailer loaded |
| website. As I have been listening and watching some | | | | up when I got ready to have the sale. By the end of |
| of the audios and videos, I have realized that some of | | | | the sale, we were restocked with new items. Also, |
| the virtues taught, we have been doing for years. We | | | | sometimes people would donate money. My wife, our |
| have just not had any training. Probably like yourself, | | | | family members and I were willing raise the money to |
| we had some of these qualities, but did not know how | | | | get her to the camp. Remember, "Where the |
| to harness or exploit them. | | | | willingness is great the difficulties cannot be great." |
| The first feelings we had were uncertainty for the | | | | says Niccolo Machiavelli |
| future. We were both young. But really, no one is ever | | | | Now, the most important thing I have learned in my life |
| ready for anything like this. At first, no one would tell us | | | | with Katie is never give up. Now I understand that not |
| what was wrong or what to do. All we could think | | | | everyone has the same circumstance, but set goals. |
| was we had the worst situation ever. We did not | | | | Something always told me that she could walk. Now I |
| know if it was a freak accident or genetic. Would this | | | | knew she would not walk perfect, but she would walk. |
| affect any other children we had? But after the shock | | | | And through her efforts and the effort of my wife, |
| wore off, we realized God had blessed us. Other | | | | others, and me, she can walk. We also knew she |
| babies in the intensive nursery weighted around 2 lbs. | | | | needed an education like the other kids, so we |
| Our Katie weighted over 6 lbs. She stayed in the | | | | required her to do the same as other kids. It always |
| hospital for 51 days. We were told at the beginning | | | | took her longer to do everything. But she has ended |
| that she would be in the intensive nursery for possibly | | | | up graduating early and is now in college working on a |
| 6 months. | | | | degree in accounting. We are still helping her adjust. But |
| From this uncertainty of the future, my wife and I | | | | our goal is for her to be as independent as she |
| learned our first lesson when dealing with a | | | | possibly can. Do not hide the person. Try to include |
| handicapped child, which was to realize how blessed | | | | them in everything you do. We always took our |
| we were. We had family members who had helped | | | | daughter out in public. When she was in school, we |
| us get through the initial shock. I had a good job with | | | | pushed her to do her best. Ruth Gordon once said, |
| insurance that paid almost all of the medical expenses. | | | | "Never give up and never face the facts." |
| Our child was alive. You really do not understand how | | | | I believe that when facing the challenges of dealing |
| strong you are until something like this happens. All you | | | | with a Cerebral Palsy person or any person with a |
| can really do is try to take care of the moment. | | | | handicap, there are three things to remember that can |
| Abraham Lincoln once said "The best thing about the | | | | help you through. First, realize when the uncertainty of |
| future is that it comes only one day at a time." | | | | the future overwhelms you, that you have family and |
| The next thing we learned was to make a | | | | friend to support and help you through these trying |
| commitment to our child. A quote I enjoy by Marian | | | | times. If you are the one helping the handicap person, |
| Wright Edelman goes like this, "You are not obligated | | | | you will need to make a commitment and be willing to |
| to win. You are obligated to keep trying to do the best | | | | go the distance. And last, but most important, never |
| you can every day." It was almost a year before | | | | give up. There are going to be times when you want |
| anyone would tell us she had Cerebral Palsy. We | | | | to throw in the towel. Take a step back, and grab a |
| knew something was wrong, but did not know what it | | | | breath. Think about what Booker T. Washington once |
| was. She was not doing the things that normal babies | | | | said, "Success is to be measured not so much by the |
| could do. After we were told she had Cerebral Palsy, | | | | position that one has reached in life as by the |
| my wife and I had to make a commitment to Katie | | | | obstacles which he has overcome." I am a firm |
| that we would do whatever we needed to do to help | | | | believer that God does not give a person more than |
| her function in a "normal" world. We could hide her | | | | they can handle. If you are a parent of a Cerebral |
| from the world or treat her like our other children. We | | | | Palsy child, God has given you a special gift. He has |
| chose to do the best we could to help her. | | | | entrusted you a special person. Do not be afraid to |
| After you make the commitment, you have to be | | | | pray. Sometimes that may be the only thing that will |
| willing to follow through. You are going to be the | | | | get you through the hard times. |
| person taking them to the doctors. You are going to | | | | |