The Mighty Logo

My Daughter is Much More Than Her Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis

The most helpful emails in health
Browse our free newsletters

If you only read my daughter’s description via medical records, her life might look kind of bleak. On the outside, her body doesn’t work all that well. Reality is, she can’t hold her own head up more than a few seconds at a time on a good day. Sometimes, this is all people see. But what I want the world to know is this: there is so much more to see.

There is COURAGE.

She’s gone through so much more in her youth than I have in my own 45 years of life. When I see her face turn into a smile, I’m reminded of the simple joys in life. She helps me be brave when hard times come.

There is LOVE.

Honestly, I didn’t know nearly what love really meant until she came into our lives and changed us for the good. I’ve seen her connect with her sisters in a way that no one else ever could. She shows us daily what really matters in this life.

There is BEAUTY.

Her dark brown eyes, though they can’t really see me, melt my heart each morning. She’s brought more beauty to our family in ways of such greater importance.

There is PERSEVERANCE.

On her bad days, when all the challenges of her complex diagnosis pile on too deep, she is relentless in giving us cues to help her. Seeing her work so hard for the most basic things inspires me to push myself beyond what I think I can do.

There is HOPE.

She draws me to a place of looking beyond what I can see. I believe there will come a day where there will be no more pain, no more tears and no more suffering. But for now, she is our daily hope-bearer.

Sometimes the insurance providers, hospital staff and even the passerby’s at the store only see what’s on the outside. If they only could see what I see. Their lives would be changed for the good just as ours have. We see daughter, sister, friend and treasure.

Originally published: September 19, 2018
Want more of The Mighty?
You can find even more stories on our Home page. There, you’ll also find thoughts and questions by our community.
Take Me Home