One of the most important turning points in the life of every person is the moment of having a baby. The new little girl or boy can completely change the life of the couple because she/he is pulling all the ropes in the family.
However, the preparation for having a baby is also a very important period of time. During the pregnancy, the women are visiting their obstetrician and it’s natural to worry about the condition of their babies. This is a period when the parents are educated for everything that they can expect before or after the baby delivery. The parents usually expect that their new baby will have some of their features and grow up to share their interests and values.
It’s really bad when the couple acknowledged that something could be wrong with the health of their baby. That happened with the young couple with a little boy on the way who was to be named Brody. During the regular checkup, at their 6-month ultrasound, they were told of a complication with the pregnancy. They were then asked if they wanted to terminate the pregnancy or consider other options.
Chris Heller and his spouse Sara were told that Brody has a bilateral cleft lip and palate, which according to the doctor would create ongoing health problems. After explaining everything the Doctor asked them if they wanted to keep him.
The young couple didn’t hesitate to confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that they wanted to keep their baby! They actually didn’t care how he looked and they were prepared to address any issues their baby might have after the birth. In order to help raise awareness of cleft lips and palates, they wanted to share little Brody’s challenges with the world via their Facebook and Instagram accounts.
While
this might seem easy, cleft lips and palates
This kind of deformity often requires special attention from parents as it can be difficult for babies to eat, drink and smile. In many cases, even breathing can present problems. They continued with their hard attitude to share Brody’s life with the world and even though people asked very uncomfortable questions. They found these questions as an opportunity to educate others.
Sara was ready to educate others rather than create a confrontation because that was what she wanted Brody to do in the future. Her dream for Brody was to become an advocate for younger cleft kids who don’t have their own voice yet.
They realized and strongly recommend that sharing life with people on the internet can have some surprising consequences. Their experience of this way of living brought them unexpected spontaneous acts of kindness. For instance, someone they had never met before simply handed them a note and inside was a check for $1000. The note was really touching: “for the beautiful baby.”
Sara has witnessed other situation of people’s kindness, so that happens in the restaurant too, and she received the same amount of money with the same note “for the beautiful baby.” She used the money to cover some of Brody’s hospital expenses to surgically repair his lip.
Brody is now grown up and is a happy little boy.
Having a child born with a disability is a life-long adjustment for the parents. As the disabilities result from a number of factors, families must learn to tolerate, accept and hopefully celebrate children who are not what they originally had in mind.
Communities also play a very important part by accepting and providing opportunities for the child.
Sources:
www.childresearch.net