D is for Dad

Dads and daughters tend to have a special bond from the outset; I'm an only child with cerebral palsy (CP). That has only intensified the bond between me and my dad. My parents tried to conceive for eight years before I came along. This was prior to the days of medical intervention in such situations. Even if there had been options, I believe they would have trusted the thought that if it was meant to be it would happen. Anyway, I was due in February of 1971... I arrived in December of 1970. My mom always jokes that I must have been hungry, and she longed for me to stop kicking her bladder, hence my premature entrance into the world.

CP manifests itself differently in each person, depending on the amount of oxygen deprivation in the brain and where the brain is damaged during birth. I may explain this in greater detail in my blog at some point, or you are certainly welcome to ask me about it if you wish; I have no problem discussing it. For now, suffice to say, given the complications of my birth and not knowing exactly what was happening at the time, my dad (mom, too, I'm sure) was not sure what life would hold for me.  He even wrote in his journal that he did not expect a live birth, but that God had other plans. Whenever I read that sentence I tear up. Not only does it remind me how fortunate I am to have made it, but I get emotional imagining how my parents felt, and to know that they suffered with the thought that I may not have lived is almost more than I can bear.

Thankfully, life has been very good to me: I can walk, I'm able to live independently, I have my faculties, I have a job I love, etc. Not that there haven't been challenges. I've faced eight surgeries, most due to my CP, for one thing. I haven't written that to garner sympathy, only to make a point. You know who's been by my side through everything?  My parents. Yes, parents are expected to raise their children and see them through the tough times, but we all know that's not always the case. My dad was there there through thick and thin, and as I found out much later, he was dealing with many other things as well. He has been my greatest champion, as has my mom.  Anything I write here can never fully describe how much we mean to each other.

Dad is also one of the smartest people I know. He is so well read, and trust me, you don't want to play Trivial Pursuit against him; I can almost guarantee you'll lose. He'll be 75 this summer, how fast the time has gone! I love him so much and am so proud to be his daughter... I am blessed.