To understand why you may find my story inspiring, you must first understand where my story begins. Before I go into detail though I want to start by letting you know that, even though some parts of my story are hard to talk about I have been very blessed and grateful to call this life I live mine.
I'm grateful that God has given me the opportunity to experience these things that make up my story, because through it all, both good and bad it has made me the strong, talented, young woman I believe that I am. Without going through these experiences I'm honestly not sure that I would be the exact woman I am today. Thank you, Lord for this life I live. My story begins in the small town of Prestonsburg, in Eastern, KY. in August of 1996. When I say small town, I mean the town that I grew up in for most of my life, is the kind of town where everyone knows everyone's name and is willing to be there for you and help you anyway that they can. Growing up I lived a pretty normal childhood, well mostly. As normal as I could. I was born three months early so I was premature and very tiny. My mother was the tender age of nineteen when she had me and my father was twenty-three. My birth should have been the happiest day of my parents lives, but it actually turned out to be the scariest day they would probably ever experience in their entire lifetime. During my birth my mother experienced some severe complications, so they had to do an emergency cesarean section, because my heart rate continued to drop. there was fluid gathering around me, which was causing both my heart rate and oxygen levels to drop rapidly. After the cesearean section was performed, I flatlined not one, but three times. the third time I flatlined the doctors told my parents that I was out for a total of fourteen minutes, before they were able to restart my heart, and get me stabilized. It's safe to say that my parents prayer for a miracle were answered. I ended up staying an extended period of time in the nicu unit before I was released and able to come home from the hospital. Seven months later my grandmother discovered that, I was unable to sit up completely on my own like most seven month old babies should be able to do. I was taken to my neonatal peditrician Dr. Mohamad Alnahhas. (if he happens to discover this page, thank you Dr. Mo for everything you have done for me. You are part of the reason I have made it this far, I am so grateful for everything you have done for me and my family). Okay, back on topic his first thought was that, I was late developing the ability to sit up on my own, because it is common for that to happen, until he sat me up on the table and I just fell over. He then realized that in his words "Grandma knows best," so he decided to send me for further testing to figure out the issue. (He knew my diagnosis already, but wanted to be one-hundred percent positive). I was sent for further testing in Lexington, KY. about a two hour drive from my small-town, at University of Kentucky hospital. The test was performed and the results were in I had a positive diagnosis. No one would've expected the heartbreak they would feel next. I was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. If you do not know what Cerebral Palsy is, it is a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen to the brain at birth. Simply put, theres a pin sized hole in my brain that prevents the signals from being sent to my legs in order for me to be able to walk on my own. At first before my exact diagnosis of this particular type of Cerebral Palsy, the doctors weren't sure if I'd be able to walk with assistance of a reverse-K walker, or if I'd be able to speak or live a normal life at all. That's when God stepped in and said "Be still my child, I will fight for you." Today at the age of twenty three (the same age my father was when I was born) I am able to talk without speech delay's, walk with assistance of a reverse-K walker, and live and function in society normally. Don't get it twisted though, getting to this point in my life where I am able to do these things as well as I can, certainly hasn't been one of the easiest experiences. I'll go into more detail and touch on how I've made it to this point later, but I am most definitely blessed and most certainly a miracle. Thank you, Lord for saving my life. I am forever and eternally grateful for all you have done, and continue to do for me and my family,
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About the AuthorJust a simple small-town girl with big dreams, with an inspiring story to write and share. Archives
December 2020
CategoriesThe LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. |