Saturday, March 23, 2013

CP Awareness Month ~

This is a significant month. March is  Cerebral  Palsy Awareness Month and the 25th is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day.  March 20th is also our boy's  birthday. It was by far the most challenging day in our family's life as well as one of the most beautiful. We were given the gift that is Cody.

Our family went to a local restaurant to celebrate.  I noticed a gentleman seated behind our table looking at Cody. He had a critical expression and then shifted his chair to face the opposite direction.  Because of his poor motor skills, Cody typically has difficulty controlling his saliva. Eating and drinking are also quite messy. We should own stock in a napkin company!  The man that had shifted his chair seemed to be disapproving of Cody's table manners. 

Cody seemed completely unaware but I was hurt. I remembered reading this past summer of a family in Texas that were frequent patrons of a local restaurant. It was made known to them that a family that had been seated in close proximity had requested to be moved to a different table because of their child with down syndrome. Apparently they were "uncomfortable." 

In sharing our experience with my sister the following day, we discussed how the world lacks compassion and empathy for what it does not understand. I jokingly texted her later that there was a good chance the disapproving glare may have been as a result of my poor table manners. It's all about perspective: for every negative look, comment, reaction today and in the future, there are countless positive reactions. It's always easier to remember the bad instead of the good in any given circumstance.

Cerebral Palsy may be a part of Cody and our family's lives but it doesn't define him or us completely. Everyone has strengths, weaknesses,  and "handicaps" both seen and unseen; we're all so much more than we appear.  Happy CP Awareness Month!

I love this! 






2 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for this entry - I just came across your blog and you have a really great perspective on life and the challenges that come with it. Your children are lucky to have you as a role model and a caring, loving mother! I love that cerebral palsy image, too - I saw it (and some other great ones like it) on the CP Family Network facebook page, in case you're interested in seeing similar posts. Anyway, thanks for sharing your story!

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    1. Rhonda,
      Thanks for the kind words. I'm a lucky mom. :)

      Annie

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