March 12, 2007
Today marks three years since that fateful day when Amanda fell off the roof and our lives took on a new meaning. There are daily temptations to succumb to discouragement, disappointment and depression, the forerunners of bitterness, as we remember the vibrant, intelligent, fun loving and artsy young lady Amanda was before her accident. I used to think that losing a child would be the most difficult circumstance a parent could ever endure, but having a child survive a traumatic brain injury, suspended indefinitely somewhere between life and death, is a deeper, much longer valley.
It has been over five months since Amanda moved to Horizons and she is doing very well. The staff at Horizons does a wonderful job tending to her daily needs and they do it with warmth and friendliness. It is apparent that the staff dotes on her and that Amanda enjoys them as well.
Amanda’s bedroom at Horizons is bright and cheery—done up in bright colors, with cards and pictures adorning her wall. The eighth-grade girls’ Sunday school class at Calvary Baptist Church has been decorating the door to her room, in step with the seasons. The Sunday school class also spent an evening during the Christmas holiday season singing carols for Amanda and all the children at Horizons. They did a splendid job and it was a magical night.
We are finally settling into the new groove and establishing routines. Typically, Amanda comes home to her dad’s house for overnight visits, two to three times a month. Mom goes out to Horizons and spends time with Amanda there, several times a week. Plus, Amanda and Mom have been going to Sunday school on a regular basis and they both enjoy the experience. See a special note to Amanda from mom: Letter to Amanda
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month.
The Brain Injury Association of NC (BIANC) has scheduled a “Walk and Roll-athon” on Saturday morning, March 31st at Kernersville’s Triad Park. Their mission is to create a better future for children, adolescents, and adults who survive brain injury by providing prevention, education, research, and advocacy. We are planning to push Amanda in her wheelchair and would love to have a group to join in and lend support. If interested, go to www.bianc.net and click on the TRIAD-AREA link and it will take you through the registration process.
"One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child."
-Dr. Forest E. Witcraft (1894 - 1967), was a scholar and a teacher
