My Sister Rebecca: God’s Greatest Blessing
When I was seven, Mom and Dad took me to stay with my grandma. They were off to the hospital for the day we all had awaited so eagerly. This was the day I would be an only child no more. Oh how I’d longed for a sister. How wonderful it would be to play dress-up and dolls with her I thought. I hung on my grandma’s every word every time the phone rang waiting to hear the news. Finally, the call came! All I really remember my grandma saying was “I’ll let you tell her”. It was Dad. He told me that my sister was here. I jumped for joy! Dad said “Things didn’t go quite like we thought they would and she’ll have to stay in the hospital for a while, but Mom will be home in a few days.” “That’s ok, I can wait …show more content…
Her condition was more extreme than most cases. Her lower spine hadn’t formed and the skin around it was open to the air. She was paraplegic. The doctors did skin grafts to close her back. She also had many brain surgeries the first week or so of life. There were so many times we almost lost her but she was a fighter, never giving up the will to live.
The doctors told my parents it would be best to put her in an institution. They said she wouldn’t be able to communicate with us due to the severity of her brain injuries. They told us she was only expected to live to be about three years old. Mom and Dad were fighters too! They weren’t about to abandon their daughter.
Months went by and finally Rebecca came home! I was so proud of her and still to this day she is my inspiration. She was in and out of the hospital most of her life. Sometimes for scheduled surgeries, sometimes for emergencies, but she never gave up the fight to live. Mom and Dad never stopped fighting either and because of that she tremendously surpassed the diagnosis she was given at birth. Rebecca had excellent communication skills and a joyous outlook on life despite her obstacles. She was always so happy. She helped me through the troubles of adolescence, without ever knowing it, just by being herself. She taught me I could do anything just from watching her
When I was seven, Mom and Dad took me to stay with my grandma. They were off to the hospital for the day we all had awaited so eagerly. This was the day I would be an only child no more. Oh how I’d longed for a sister. How wonderful it would be to play dress-up and dolls with her I thought. I hung on my grandma’s every word every time the phone rang waiting to hear the news. Finally, the call came! All I really remember my grandma saying was “I’ll let you tell her”. It was Dad. He told me that my sister was here. I jumped for joy! Dad said “Things didn’t go quite like we thought they would and she’ll have to stay in the hospital for a while, but Mom will be home in a few days.” “That’s ok, I can wait …show more content…
Her condition was more extreme than most cases. Her lower spine hadn’t formed and the skin around it was open to the air. She was paraplegic. The doctors did skin grafts to close her back. She also had many brain surgeries the first week or so of life. There were so many times we almost lost her but she was a fighter, never giving up the will to live.
The doctors told my parents it would be best to put her in an institution. They said she wouldn’t be able to communicate with us due to the severity of her brain injuries. They told us she was only expected to live to be about three years old. Mom and Dad were fighters too! They weren’t about to abandon their daughter.
Months went by and finally Rebecca came home! I was so proud of her and still to this day she is my inspiration. She was in and out of the hospital most of her life. Sometimes for scheduled surgeries, sometimes for emergencies, but she never gave up the fight to live. Mom and Dad never stopped fighting either and because of that she tremendously surpassed the diagnosis she was given at birth. Rebecca had excellent communication skills and a joyous outlook on life despite her obstacles. She was always so happy. She helped me through the troubles of adolescence, without ever knowing it, just by being herself. She taught me I could do anything just from watching her