The Greatness In God's Miracles

I know what you are probably thinking right now as you start to read this.  You're probably thinking you have better things you could be doing than to sit here and read this brief story about a disabled person.  For example watching TV, listening to your Ipod, reading your favorite book, being outside, playing with your pets or spending time with your family and friends.  Am I right?  Or are you wrong?  Think about that just for a second.  
      I'll give you a brief summary of what Cerebral Palsy is.  Cerebral Palsy, also known as CP, effects the body's nervous system.  CP also effects muscle control, like standing still - is difficult.   It can make fine-motor skills very hard to do.  For example: eating, talking, bathing, toileting, learning, picking things up and moving parts of the body.  There are three types of Cerebral Palsy: spastic Cerebral Palsy- causes stiffness and movement difficulties.  Athetoid Cerebral Palsy- leads to involuntary and uncontrolled movements.  Ataxic Cerebral Palsy- causes a disturbed sense of balance and depth perception.  Now that you know a bit about CP, here's my story.
     On July 19th my mom went into labor and was excited to deliver a full-term, healthy baby girl.  God had different plans, didn't he.  Family was there waiting for the new arrival.  6:00am July 20th, mom has been in labor for about 9 hours now and wasn't getting anywhere after hours of pushing.   Doctors were frantic and finally decided I was stuck in the birth canal.   Mom was in unbearable pain and my heart rate was dropping, very low.
     Doctors finally got a vacuum and pulled me out.  On July 20th, 1993, at 8:30am I was born; 7 pounds, 8 ounces  & 20 inches long.  No color. No crying. No movement.  Doctors declared me a "blue baby."   They smacked my back, my butt and held me by my ankles and shook me but I wasn't responding.  They hooked me up to tons of machines and monitors, you name it I was probably on it.  Doctors burnt my right foot and had to get stitches and still have the scar today.  They were afraid they were going to lose both mom and I, but especially me.  Doctors said if I did live I'd be a vegetable that would lay in a bed and be on machines 24/7 with no life.  After about 10 minutes my heart rate showed up on the monitor.  Mom says God breathed a breath of air in me.  He didn't want me yet, He had plans for me.
     Each day in the hospital I got better and stronger.  Mom finally got to hold me after 5 days and I started to get off some of the machines.  A week later I was only on two machines and I started eating.  After 4 weeks in intensive care I finally got to go home.  I was eating a lot and I never wanted to leave mom.  She said I'd scream my head off if she put me down or handed me to someone else.  She said I cried a lot, more than normal but she didn't think much of it.
     After 6 months, mom took me to the doctor and he sent us to a specialist.  They did tons of scans, x-rays and tests.  They diagnosed me with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy.  They said that's why I cried a lot cause I was frustrated.  Mom couldn't believe what she just heard, she said it took the breath right out of her.    I, myself, would be horrified too if my baby was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.   Mom had no idea what CP was at the time so she did lots of research.  About 2 months after I was diagnosed with CP, I started therapy at Turnstone 3 days a week.  Physical and speech therapy, I remember screaming til I turned blue when mom dropped me off for therapy.  Therapy helped me a lot now as I look back.  The state took away all my funding for therapy when I was 11.  Now I get therapy once a week at home and I love it.  
     17 years later, I'm a happy, vibrant, joyful and fun teenager.  I have the greatest family and my friends keep me going.  I try living a normal life or pretty close to normal that is.  Living with CP is not a walk in the park.  It not only affects me, but it takes a toll on my family too.  We had to remodel the house so that I could get around and spend time with the family.  I'm in a powerchair, have a tough time talking, can't control my arms and hands much so I use my legs and feet for everything.  And yes, I mean anything and everything you can do, I do with my legs and feet.  You probably think I just sit at home and do nothing...you're wrong!  I'm very active, play sports, volunteer, do speeches about my life, do schoolwork, play the piano, cook, laundry, swim, read, draw, surf the web, walk around in my room, listen to music, and hang with family and friends.  You're probably thinking, how?  Why?   You're disabled; you aren't suppose to do those things.  You're right, I'm not suppose to do those things but I want to and find ways to do them.  I taught myself how to do everything with my legs and feet.  I failed countless times but I kept trying and trying.  
      You never know what you can do if you don't try.  The only thing that holds you back is your mind.  I don't consider myself to be disabled cause I can do everything you can, just in a different way.   I have dreams and visions that I want to try and achieve.   When I was young I prayed every night to God that He would heal me.  Even now that I'm older I still ask, why?  He didn't answer me, sometimes the best prayers are unanswered.  If He would have answered me, I wouldn't know how to live normally, I have always been disabled.  He made me this way cause He had a plan for me.  Now, I thank Him that He didn't answer that prayer.  I wouldn't be here in this position with all of the experiences I've had and I wouldn't change anything about my life.

"And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."  Romans 5:5