My oldest son is a patient of Shriner's Children's Hospital in Portland, OR. He is soon to be an alumni because he just graduated high school and will turn 18 in July! Shriner's is a wonderful service for children 18 and under.
So...a little background.
Without Shriners' treatments, my son would have limited if any mobility in his legs. He has hemi-diplegia which is cerebral palsey (CP) that affects one half of the body. In my sons case it was his legs primarily. We tried braces when he was very little but later opted for corrective surgery. He ended up having 9 total! At no cost to us because of generous public donations to the hospital and Shriners fundraising events.
When I asked my son if he thought it was a good experience he said,
"Shriners itself is amazing. They were always really thorough and took
good care of me and were always positive. The surgeries gave me the
opportunity to be "normal" (he did air quotes lol).....without the surgeries I
wouldn't have been able to take a PE class, and all that stuff with my peers and
probably would have been in a special ed room. People [who see my scars] ask
what's up and I tell them and everyone's pretty cool about it. There's
always some [jerks] who ask dumb questions or who think I'm
retarded. During the [puberty years] it used to make me
mad...but now I just walk away
from those people."
Other than scars on his legs and a lift in his right shoe most people would never know he has CP. He is planning on becoming a chef! I am looking forward to some good eats. :)
Nolan faced so many challenges with his legs. He was not as fast, his back spasmed & hurt because of his legs, shoes did not fit right, etc. 9 times they broke his legs, put in pins and steel plates, built an arch in his foot. Through it all he was the most positive thinker!! Amazing. He didn't cop out. He faced his handicap and graduated - awesome!! Many many young men would have given up. I have a great deal of respect for him.
ReplyDeleteI'm also his grama. But the story is NOT embellished in any way. When he was really young I went to Shriners with him and his Mom. They "met" my standards! ha I just needed to know he was in good hands. Thank God for them and their positive mentoring!