While you are five...

Dear daughter, you are five years old. Many years ago you were born premature. At 27 weeks gestation, you were only 2lbs at birth. you spent many days in the NICU and somewhere along the days, not sure when, your brain failed to turn on the walking switch. At first, it was really hard at to accept the fact that you could not sit, or crawl, or walk. But we don't really care now about the fact that you are five and at confined to a wheelchair full time. I have read what feels like a million books, looking for help and answers. From helping you improve your physical ability to helping me accept your inability to be independent, and everywhere in between. We have traveled to many places over the years, looking for help. Today, I lean more toward helping you achieve the absolutely amazing girl that I know you will become, whether you walk or not. A few years ago, I began to teach you to read, and at three years old, you read like a first grader. You are truly gifted, no one can believe that you are only five and everyone is delighted to hold a conversation with you. We are truly blessed to have you, we are blessed that we can hear your beautiful voice every day.

Dear daughter, you are a bright girl and I am thankful that you are in our lives. You are absolutely perfect! I will continue to teach you everything I can, so that you can become an astronomer, and veterinarian, just like you want. One day you will roll your wheelchair, or walk down the red carpet to receive your college degree at Harvard University and then I will cry tears of happiness because a world of opportunities will open up for you. We talk about it all the time. You will go to Harvard and then you have decided that you will live in England. You are just five but your already made up your mind about this and also the fact that you will have three kids named Summer, Winter, and Peter. The world is yours and I will help you become a successful woman and to raise awareness so that any parent of a child who is confined to a wheelchair will think that walking is over rated and not at all necessary to achieve success and happiness. I will continue to educate myself in order to help you become independent. I will continue to read books on physical therapy, brain plasticity, research, and scientific breakthroughs. Most importantly, I will educate myself on how to believe in our abilities to overcome adversities and seeing the possibilities in every one of life's situations. It is my job to be positive and be happy and teach you to do the same.

Dear daughter, you make us the happiest people in the world. Thank you for being perfect, thank you for being you!

Love,
Mama