I imagine all parents view their child's birthday as a huge accomplishment. Something to be celebrated. A day to remember the past year's achievements and successes. Birthdays for Heart Warriors are special. For a parent to a Heart Warrior, we celebrate all of those things, along with: breathing, movement, and life in general! Birthdays for Heart Warriors are extra special, because they've done the unthinkable, the unimaginable. They have managed to hang on for another year!
Gone are the days of being satisfied with a mere "Dada" or "Mama". Parents of Heart Warriors are amazed that their kid made it through the night or moved their legs a bit more this week than last week with the physical therapist. All of our kids' accomplishments are multiplied ten fold. Every detail of our child's accomplishments are etched in our brain forever. We don't really need to write it down, although we do.
Parents of Heart Warriors see life in a different light. What used to be a rainbow, is now a full landscape of colors, hues, and contrasts. Those of us who used to see life as black and white, now realize there are hundreds of shades of "gray" in our world. And what a wonderfully colorful world it is.
I am a parent to a Heart Warrior, as well as a parent to a heart healthy child. If not for my Heart Warrior, I would've never experienced life to it's fullest. Now, I feel every moment, taste every memory, and hear every song in my heart.
That is so true! Such an awesome post and perfectly described summation of birthdays for us! Well done Shannon!
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