Mel Watson from Team GLASA in archery
It was a sunny day at a beach in Wisconsin, and my then 5 year old daughter was going to water ski with Adaptive Adventures and GLASA. I was scared to death. How the heck was my Shea going to ski, when she couldn’t walk. She had never tried a sport or hobbie like this, and I could not fathom how it was going to turn out.
As they were strapping her scared little body into a ski, which had a seat and out riggers for her safety, I noticed a group of teenage girls coming down the pier. They were a beautiful set of girls, in walkers, sports wheelchairs and with prosthetic legs. They came down the pier talking and laughing, and being really nothing more than “typical” teenage girls. They didn’t even notice me staring at them in total awe as they popped onto the ground next to their chairs or took off their prosthetic legs.
They were going water skiing. They were athletes and active and amazing.
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Girls like Mel Watson who I don’t even know, have made me see nothing but possibility where I once saw obstacle. They have given me a kind of hope that I could not find anywhere else. I saw the future in them and it looked pretty darn good !
I love this! As a nineteen-year-old college student with CP, I can honestly reaffirm that attitude and perseverance is the key. There is no doubt in my mind that Shea will be successful. I can do just about everything that other kids my age can do — it just takes more effort. 🙂 And in many ways, I consider my disability to be a gift. It has given me inner strength to compensate for my outer weakness, and it’s something that I can carry with me as proof that I can overcome difficulties and those who doubt me. The lessons that my CP has taught me can be applied to all areas of my life. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I love your blog; your daughter is amazing, and I can’t wait to see what else she will accomplish!
K, Your comment brought tears to my eyes. I read it last night and then had to go back to it this morning. You are exactly the kind of person who changes lives for Moms like me. I love how you have found your strength and how you use that to accomplish all those things in your life. Knowing that you are out there and thriving, and going to college, and strong gives me so much strength to raise my daughter.
Thank you for sharing with me.
Patty