We made it!

WE MADE IT!

We made it. This is where we are today. Looking back on the endless trips to Portland for therapy, the frequent medical appointments (sometimes 3 in one week), and the IEP meetings. The meltdowns, the late dinners, the insurance mixups, the time away from the rest of the family, the list goes on-and it was absolutely worth it!

The child we have today is a successful kindergarten student.  She is learning letters and sounds with the rest of her class.  Our child is potty trained.  She enjoys sleepovers and trips to the pumpkin patch with her adult sisters.  This child chooses hot or cold lunch and sits at the table with her friends to eat it.  She picks out a book from the school library each week and brings it home for us to read together.  Recently, this girl requested to ride to school in a car seat instead of a wheelchair-and now she is.  Our girl is participating in every moment of her life with anticipation of what comes next. She is free.

Gone is the child who refused to complete her work at school, had frequent meltdowns, and could not focus long on a lesson or activity.  Gone is the girl who rode in a wheelchair throughout the day and to and from school.  We do not miss the girl who needed constant supervision in case she had a seizure.  Or the child who needed to be watched for choking because she forgot to swallow her food.  That girl was before.

What we have now is the culmination of hours and hours of hard work and dedication by the huge team of people who make up Angie's team, past and present. Often, I asked myself, "Will all of this therapy and intervention really make a difference?". Today, I realize the answer is a resounding "YES!".  Either way, I would not regret the time spent on those appointments, but what a wonderful blessing to observe the resulting growth in this amazing child.

I have said it before, but I will say it until the day I die, because I do not forget for one moment that we have received a precious gift -"Thank you".  "Thank you" to all of the people responsible for giving Angie (and me) the encouragement to persevere and the knowledge that she is perfect just the way she is and always has been.  I could not ask for more.  You know who you are.  Thank you.