When I was born on November 6, 1990, the doctors thought I was not going to make it out of the delivery room. Instead of putting me in my mother’s arms, they rushed me to the intensive care unit and put me on the ventilator. I would eventually recover from my near death experience eight days later, and then diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This was hard on my parents to get the news that their son would spend the rest of his life with a handicap. It was a turbulent time in their lives. There was no cure for me. I would not be able to speak, move freely, or even think like a normal person. My parents coped with this and did the best they could for me. Every day for the next year, I went to therapy working my muscles and mind. Therapy was very painful and stressful for both me and my mom. My parents and their friends prayed constantly for a change. The doctors could not believe it. It was truly a miracle. Medicine did not save me, doctors did not save me, and my parents did not save me. It was divine intervention that scooped me out of sickness and brought me to a normal life. For this miracle, I am forever grateful.
I am now seventeen years old and a junior in high school. In the past few years I have learned other people who have miracle stories that I always love to hear. I have met people with cerebral palsy as well. Every time I walk away from them, they are not able to do the same. The appreciation for my miracle intensifies. A lot of times before I go to sleep at night, I think about the blessings I have from the miracle. I speak clearly, go to school, play sports, and love life. My miracle helps serve as inspiration for me whenever I do not feel like working hard or achieving something. I think to myself, “at least I am able to run, so I will sprint.” I plan to attend the United States Military Academy when I graduate from high school. Getting into the Academy would be a miracle in itself, but it would be especially amazing considering my birth. However, whatever I do with the rest of my life, I will look at it as a miracle.