Stories of YES #29 - Amazing Grace

"I have always loved people with special needs. As I was growing up (and even to this day) when I see a group of people with special needs at stores, amusement parks etc, I just smile. They seem so lovable. I would wonder if they were being treated nicely, and I would always try to find a way that I could interact with them. Usually, it was just a smile and a hello.
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When we decided to say yes to our daughter Grace, our world changed a bit. She was 3 1/2 and suffered from neglect and cerebral palsy. The neglect was far worse than the CP. She would cry at anything that was different - car rides were even frightening for her. Grace's favorite thing to do was hide under the table and knock on the wall. She couldn’t walk, talk, use a toilet, suck a bottle, drink from a cup or chew food. She would not play with toys - she just threw them across the room. She would not watch TV, she would not look you in the eye and she would not laugh unless you tickled her, made a loud knock on the wall, or slammed shut a door or cupboard.
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But that was six years ago.
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Grace is called "Amazing Grace” for so many reasons. Her progress seemed slow (I’m told by therapists it was fast). Every session she could do just a tiny bit more than she did the week before. She had Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech and Feeding Therapy, where she learned to chew food. At first everything was pureed, then soft mechanical and now, she can chew almost all foods. After eating mush the first three years of her life, she now enjoys good food!
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Grace is still non-verbal but uses a mechanical device that helps her communicate her needs. She knows 5 or 6 sign language signs. Our daughter loves school and thrives on routines. She is solving addition facts to 10, knows her letters, and she can answer comprehension questions from text with her communication device. She loves to play teacher by doing calendar every morning, and she knows how to work the technology devices in her classroom!
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Nine months ago, Grace learned to walk, and it has helped open up a new world to her. She wants to run so badly, so she often gets ahead of herself and stumbles - but she tries so hard. She is beginning to interact with her siblings and classmates, and now makes eye contact about 75% of the time. She plays with some toys and occasionally can be seen watching the TV. She giggles a lot now (sometimes when she’s being naughty). Grace loves her family and her teachers, and she will blow kisses and wave her hand when prompted.
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My other children (my biological and my two adopted children who have Down syndrome) have learned compassion and patience through their sister. They always think to include Grace, which usually means finding a way that they can adapt the situation so she can play along They are very patient when she ”messes up" their stuff or takes a long time to complete a task. When my son was in first grade he wrote in his journal that he wanted to invent a machine that helped people learn to talk like his sister Grace.
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Grace is now nine years old and she continues to learn and grow in ways we never dreamed of. I cannot imagine what our life would have been like without her, and I can’t imagine what her life would look like today if she was never adopted. We have all been so blessed by her life. She matters to us, and our Amazing Grace matters to God."

- Candy Thomas Woertman

 
(this family is currently fundraising to bring another child home. If you feel led to help, here is the link to their fundraising page: https://reecesrainbow.org/130336/sponsorwoertman-3)