When Abby was born, there were no complications. For the first year of Abby’s life there was not a single concern. As time went on, things started to slow down. All of the other kids her age had been crawling, standing, and even walking at this point; but my happy little girl was content right where she was. We were brushed off time and time again by pediatricians and other medical professionals. “She’ll do those things when she is ready” would echo in my head all day long. There were so many tears following these appointments. So many nights where I tried to convince myself that this wasn’t my fault. That it wasn’t because I was failing at being a mom. Abby was 2.5 years old before we ever got close to a diagnosis. 

Following the diagnosis were so many mixed emotions. I was young (18 years old young) and a first time mom. I had no idea what I was going to do, or what our future was going to look like. A small part of me was grieving the loss of the idea of what we thought our life as parents would be. The other 75% of me was looking at this happy, beautiful girl who never stopped smiling and laughing. So I decided to let go of the idea that life could have been any different and I embraced every moment that we were going through. We attended appointments, she went through extensive testing, she began therapy services, and she got her first piece of equipment. Through everything that Abigail went through, there wasn’t a day that went by that she was not smiling. 

Currently, Abby is 5 years old! Something that most people don’t know about her is that she does not have any cognitive delay or impairment. She is fully able to understand the differences between her and her peers. She is able to comprehend how people talk to her and about her. Although she is fully aware that she has cerebral palsy and that she needs to use her crutches to walk, she has never let that get in her way. She is confident, graceful, kind, positive, patient and wise beyond her years. She is excited to attend therapy each session. She is always ready to try new things, even if they may be difficult for her. She is always grateful for any of the help that she receives from anyone.

Abby has taught me so much over the past 5 years of being her mama. She has taught me that there is something good in every single day. She has taught me that there is always something to smile about. She has taught me that obstacles are not walls and that they can be overcome. She has taught me that perspective is everything and that her diagnosis does not influence her as a person. She has taught me what it means to be an advocate. She has taught me that educating others will always be more effective than being offended by ignorance. She has taught me that can’t is a word that we can erase from our vocabulary. She taught me that life is exactly what you make it, and we are making ours amazing.

amazing abigail grace

To learn more about Abigail and follow her journey, follow @amazingabigailgrace and @emandkids on Instagram and check out their family Youtube channel EM&KIDS!