They'll tell you that the great adventure you just began with me took a turn towards the uncertain. They'll tell you raising me is going to be filled with insurmountable challenges and numerous struggles. They'll warn you about the medical bills and costs I'll require. They'll try to explain all the surgeries or therapy I'll need in the coming months and years. They may tell you to not plan too far into my future. They'll tell you that they're so sorry and ask if there's anything they can do for you, or me. They'll tell you that I will consume your life. They'll harp on about the sacrifices you'll have to make (as if they had a clue). They may even take me away from you for awhile. They'll smile in that way that belies their relief that I am not their child.


You'll take it one day at a time with me. You'll feel sad when you watch the other parents with their gurgling and healthy babies. You may feel angry and frustrated because you're always grasping for that "what else can I do..." Your blood may boil when they tell you you're wrong but you just know you're right. You may ask yourself why you continue to do this. You'll doubt yourself more than a few times, more than a hundred times. You'll soon find yourself unwilling to give-up; and you won't know why, or maybe you know exactly why but it's difficult to put all of the emotions and beliefs into words. You might even get fed up with me on more than a few occasions. You may feel guilty for all the reasons 'why' and 'how.'


I'll change your life's priorities. I'll show you what you are capable of before I figure out what I am capable of. I'll invent new dreams for you. I'll teach you how to be patient and push your sense of trust. I'll reconstruct your idea of 'family.' I'll exercise your strength just when you thought you're exhausted. I'll hold you to your stamina and make sure you never waver. I'll push your determination to the point of unrelenting. I'll show you what it means to go to "infinity and beyond!" I'll guide you to be my ears and eyes until I can do it on my own. I'll prove to you why expectations should never be set in stone. I'll make sure you're paying attention to the smallest of things. I'll instill your intuition with an iron-fist confidence. I'll challenge your sense of courage and may change your sense of faith.