Life is a Gift!

For those of you who don’t know, World Prematurity Day was on Friday, November 17th, 2017. It took me awhile to formulate my thoughts for this post, simply because I do not remember being born, nor do I remember the experiences that took place shortly after my birth, but here is what I do know.

My mom’s due date was on February 17th, 1997, and I was born on December 7th, 1996. When the doctors determined that there was no way to stop the labour, they gave her a steroid shot because they did not how developed I would be. At birth, I weighed a mere three pounds and two ounces. After I was born, there were times where my heart rate would drop and I would stop breathing. The doctors were not able to make any promises, and initially, no one was able to say for sure whether I would actually survive.

But here I am. Breathing, alive and living, Now that I am an adult, I understand the significance of this a lot more. I understand that things could have potentially turned out much, much differently.

Because my brain did not get enough oxygen, the motor centre of my brain was actually damaged, and I was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. While this has created significant challenges for both me and my family, those experiences have played a huge role in shaping my perspective on life. Yesterday, I watched an extremely moving Ted Talk (I’ll share the link with you below) about a young woman who is now paralyzed as a result of a horrific car accident. At the end of her speech, she says something that resonates deeply with me. “ Live Every Moment.” Life is not all unicorns and rainbows. Quite frankly, having cerebral palsy freaking sucks sometimes, but I have to look on the bright side. I may have CP, but at least I am still here. I was given an opportunity to live, despite all of the odds that were stacked against me, and I feel that for me to waste this incredible opportunity would be disrespectful.

Life is a gift. Don’t waste a single minute of it!