As most may know this has been in the news a lot lately. What some of you may not know is that my son was also born with microcephaly. Yes, I admit when I was young I didn’t know what to expect with my child having this. I opted to give him up for adoption. Ultimately, I decided to raise my son the best way I knew how.

He wasn’t diagnosed with microcephaly until sometime near the middle of 1994. The doctors were baffled as to just what was wrong with him. His ongoing seizures and then he just kept on getting sick. He wasn’t hitting his the normal milestones. They said something to me about early intervention when he was maybe 3 or so months old but it wasn’t until we spent ALOT of time at Duke Children’s hospital in Durham NC that the real diagnosis was coming clear to them. He has been to see so many different specialists and his medical teams kept trying to find out what the problem was.

Microcephaly, you hear the media make it seem as if these children were given a definite death sentence without any hope whatsoever. I admit not all cases are the same, some more extreme than others. Yes, there are some of the countries that are currently in panic mode that are without adequate medical services and treatments that the unborn could benefit from after birth so to raise the bar of possibility. I have never lived under the invisible umbrella of limitations that life handed me or my children. Where one lacks the others progresses. Just because your child has a disability does not mean you have not been given the gift of life. It doesn’t mean you will never feel that unconditional love that most feel after having children. The love and the look your young will give you at times can melt the hardest of hearts. Is it always so bright and shiny? Heck no, but neither is the weather. But this is the face of what someone with microcephaly looks like. It’s not a bed of roses nor is it a bed of nails. Don’t dwell on what your child lacks better yet dwell on the things he or she has brought into your world and given you. Take each set back as just another hump in the road of life and one you will hold your head up high, though you may shed a tear don’t let it take the hope and faith that brought you to that point. I have someone that loves me through thick and thin just as I have loved him. He may have not been given the same opportunities at life as many other children but he has been given the gift of love and being loved and that is all I could ever ask for in this world. So please, think twice before thinking these children are not going to bring you anything but pain. Science isn’t always the definitive answer. How many people each year are given so many weeks or months to live and somehow by the grace of God they manage to surpass those sentences. The doctors are sometimes baffled as to just how they have survived and their only explanation is higher than themselves. Whether you believe in God or a higher power just make sure you believe that something’s are possible if you have faith and just believe it will all be ok.



