Jason's Triumph

Jason, our first child, had a traumatic birth and was born with cerebral palsy. Although he did not walk until well after he was two years of age, his condition was relatively mild and with plenty of physiotherapy he managed quite well. My wife Margaret and I often comforted him (and each other) as he faced numerous challenges in the early years of his life.

It was heartbreaking to see him regularly chosen last for a baseball team when school children were organizing a game. He never did learn how to ice skate despite a very determined effort and lots of coaching and support from us. It took him forever to learn to ride a bike, and his knees and elbows were tortured in the process. Just the same, he was a happy child and was well liked by his peers throughout elementary school. The most difficult time for Jason came when he began high school.

One afternoon, my wife and I were sitting at our kitchen table when Jason entered our home in tears. He threw his school bag on the floor, undressed to his underwear, and crying he shouted "I'm never going to school again!" His hair was matted from lunch food and juice that other kids had assaulted him with on the school bus on the way home. We had to wait several hours before he could talk about what had transpired.

A few days earlier, Jason told us he was signing up for the cross-country track and field team at his school. He figured what he lacked in speed, he could make up with endurance. Margaret and I prepared ourselves for an emotional challenge. Nonetheless, as always, we encouraged him to "go for it."

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