Not The Only Chameleon in the neighborhood...

A week and a half ago we had a neighborhood party and got the chance to meet many neighbors we had just never met before, while at the same time enjoyed seeing our neighbors that we see everyday. We have a really friendly neighborhood that is full of great people.

One couple that we know has a little girl that they just adopted from China in the last year. She was born with a birth defect in her foot and has spent her first two years in a leg brace much like the one that my son wears. A few months ago she had surgery to amputate her leg and foot and now has a prosthetic. I watched this little 3yr. old girl as she played with my daughter and her sister and many of the other kids. She ran, she jumped in the bouncy house, she rode her bike, she had just as much fun as the other little girls. She was a true chameleon.

We also got to meet a family that my boys have known, but I had never had the opportunity to meet. This family has 4 children, two boys and twin girls. Their second son was born with a spinal condition (similar to my son's) that caused atrophy in all of his muscles. He is in a wheelchair and probably will never know what it is like to walk. Now how could a child in a wheelchair blend in with his surroundings? Well, while I stood in the park talking with his mom, she looked around with curiosity. Then she asked the question that all mom's ask from time to time... "where is my child?" I looked with her, scanning the crowd, looking everywhere for that very recognizable chair on wheels. He had done it. He had blended in with his surroundings. We found him right in the middle of a group of adults sitting in lawn chairs and talking. Later I looked over and saw all the kids racing on foot, on scooters, on bikes and then the one boy was racing his wheelchair. I noticed that this young boy often came in last while racing and I wondered how that made him feel. The next time that I looked he was way ahead of the other kids and about to cross the finish line. His dad had gotten behind him and was pushing him while running as fast as he could. He was once again blending in with the other kids.

The next time you notice a child with a disability, look for ways that this child may be blending in and enjoying life as they know it.

No longer blending in at the hospital!

My dad went for a check up with the specialist the other day and came home with some wonderful news! NO Cancer is detected in the Liver or Bladder. YAY! There is still some rements in the scar tissue near the appendix. Possibly one more treatment and he could be cancer free. He also tells me that he is daily gaining his strength back. I look foward to seeing him in a few months and spending some quality (not sick in the hospital) time with him.