This is a thank you letter to all of the special people in my life - past and present - who have played a part in making me the person I am today.
You see, I was born two months premature with a congenital birth defect that affecteldd;lf;lfsdl;dd both my hands and feet. The many doctors I have seen over the years went back and forth with names for it, and it was not until I became an adult that doctors settled on distal arthrogryposis. I spent lots of time in hospitaThamls with doctors poking and prodding me. Now I am 37 years old, a mother and wife, and a full time special education teacher.
My first thank you is to my parents and my brothers. I need to thank them for everything they have done for me - big and small - but especially for giving em the gift of a normal childhood.
I want to thank my parents for the nights spent at the hospital,countless doctors appointments, for calling me "Nena", and singing me songs about my life.
Thank you to my parents for being proud of my accomplishments, for guiding me through my failures, for wiping away my tears, for sharing my laughter, and for loving me. Thank you for making me who I am - your daughter who loves you very much.
Thank you to my brothers for letting me tag along with you and your friends and not complaining (at least not too much). Thank you for fighting with me and playing with me and bringing me pizza when I refused to eat hospital food. Thank you also to my sister-in-law, nephews, and nieces for their love, smiles, and hugs.
Thank you to my husband for his unconditional love and unfailing support. You have been my my best friend as well as the love of my life. Thank you for being a wonderful husband and amazing father to our three kids. Thank you for the memories we have made and for the many more we will make with our wonderful family.
Thank you to my children. You teach me something new everyday. Your grace, strength, and intelligence amaze me. I look forward to being your mom in the years to come and to be there for all of the laughter and tears we will share.
I would next like to thank my numerous doctors. My dad was in the Army so I spent lots of time in military hospitals and had a plethora of doctors. I was lucky to have always had such wonderful caring doctors who took the time to talk to me and to give me those nasty sugar free suckers. Thank you to my doctors who through the surgeries and leg braces did their best to walk better and use my hands in a more useful way.
Thank you for treating me as a person and not as a patient.
I have a very special thank you for a doctor in Fort Gordon, Georgia - Dr. Baja. He was my doctor for many years. He called me "princess" and made me look forward to going to the hospital. I know when I went I would see his smile and hear him ask, "How is my little princess today?" Thank you for caring for my life outside of the hospital.
Thank you to the therapists and doctors that have treated my daughter who also have distal arthrogryposis. They have helped my girls grow to be confident in themselves and with their knowledge have lessened the need for them to have had as many surgeries as I did.
Thank you to all of my teachers at Conder, Dent, and Richland Northeast. Thank you for giving me one of the most precious gives of all - an education. Also, thank you for giving me the desire to bestow this same gift on others by becoming a teacher. I was very lucky to have had such wonderful teachers.
Thank you to all my friends from childhood to adulthood. Thank you for the fun and special memories we have created. Thank you for consoling me when I felt inconsolable and for laughing with me until we could laugh no more.
Thank you to the Lord, our God, for giving me my family and friends, and for giving me the strength that has enabled me to have the wonderful life I have had.
I remember growing up, wishing not to have been born with distal arthrogryposis. I used to think how much easier life would have been. But now I know that I would not be the same strong, intelligent, confident person I am today.
Thank you to my parents for being proud of my accomplishments, for guiding me through my failures, for wiping away my tears, for sharing my laughter, and for loving me. Thank you for making me who I am - your daughter who loves you very much.
Thank you to my brothers for letting me tag along with you and your friends and not complaining (at least not too much). Thank you for fighting with me and playing with me and bringing me pizza when I refused to eat hospital food. Thank you also to my sister-in-law, nephews, and nieces for their love, smiles, and hugs.
Thank you to my husband for his unconditional love and unfailing support. You have been my my best friend as well as the love of my life. Thank you for being a wonderful husband and amazing father to our three kids. Thank you for the memories we have made and for the many more we will make with our wonderful family.
Thank you to my children. You teach me something new everyday. Your grace, strength, and intelligence amaze me. I look forward to being your mom in the years to come and to be there for all of the laughter and tears we will share.
I would next like to thank my numerous doctors. My dad was in the Army so I spent lots of time in military hospitals and had a plethora of doctors. I was lucky to have always had such wonderful caring doctors who took the time to talk to me and to give me those nasty sugar free suckers. Thank you to my doctors who through the surgeries and leg braces did their best to walk better and use my hands in a more useful way.
Thank you for treating me as a person and not as a patient.
I have a very special thank you for a doctor in Fort Gordon, Georgia - Dr. Baja. He was my doctor for many years. He called me "princess" and made me look forward to going to the hospital. I know when I went I would see his smile and hear him ask, "How is my little princess today?" Thank you for caring for my life outside of the hospital.
Thank you to the therapists and doctors that have treated my daughter who also have distal arthrogryposis. They have helped my girls grow to be confident in themselves and with their knowledge have lessened the need for them to have had as many surgeries as I did.
Thank you to all of my teachers at Conder, Dent, and Richland Northeast. Thank you for giving me one of the most precious gives of all - an education. Also, thank you for giving me the desire to bestow this same gift on others by becoming a teacher. I was very lucky to have had such wonderful teachers.
Thank you to all my friends from childhood to adulthood. Thank you for the fun and special memories we have created. Thank you for consoling me when I felt inconsolable and for laughing with me until we could laugh no more.
Thank you to the Lord, our God, for giving me my family and friends, and for giving me the strength that has enabled me to have the wonderful life I have had.
I remember growing up, wishing not to have been born with distal arthrogryposis. I used to think how much easier life would have been. But now I know that I would not be the same strong, intelligent, confident person I am today.
