Debbie, Eli's physical therapist, has been by our family's side from Day 1. And by Day 1, I mean since the day he was born. I will never forget first meeting Debbie in Shawnee Mission Medical Center. I was so emotional as a new mom and did not know what to expect with his diagnosis. I didn't know what to do with a new baby, let along one that might need a little extra help. Debbie walked in the room and immediately, I felt like I could breathe again. We had a plan for Eli. We knew that we wanted him involved at Lee Ann Britain Infant Development Center. She had worked with other kids with achondroplasia and we had met most of those kids already. They were thriving and we knew that it was, in part, due to her early intervention.
I will also never forget our first tour of the building and the excitement knowing that my son was going to have every opportunity to hit his milestones with a running start. I knew that he would be expected to work hard, but that everyone in that organization would love him and accept him for who he was, regardless of his height or if he looked different. I knew that this was his safe haven.
We had our challenges ahead of us. Eli was so tight when he was born and we had to work on loosening up his muscles and strengthening his back especially. Crawling came in the form of a wonderful little army scoot on his belly across the floor. Debbie gave me confidence that, while this was different from other kids, it was his way of adapting his shorter arms and legs and torso to moving. Walking came a little bit later than his peers, but not by much because this kid wanted to move. Eli took his first steps in therapy...and it's permanently filed away in my memory as this moment of awe and wonder. Signing came before talking and I was amazed that I had this way to figure out what he wanted without having to use words.
Fast forward 2 years and a couple of months and my son is running, and laughing, and talking, just like any other kid. And so that's why it is so bittersweet for me...and while I want to jump up and down in celebration of this moment, I feel so damn sentimental because it won't be the same seeing these people every week.
Thank you to Lee Ann Britain Infant Development Center, and especially our physical therapist, Debbie. Thank you for helping my son to roll over, crawl, walk, run and laugh all along the way. You have been infinitely valuable in our lives and we will ALWAYS remember what you did for Eli and our family.
