Favorite Scripture

FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, DECLARES THE LORD...PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU...PLANS TO GIVE YOU A HOPE AND A FUTURE.
JEREMIAH 29:11 (NIV)

Thursday, November 7, 2013

CEREBRAL PALSY...GLASS HALF FULL PHILOSOPHY (Funny Story)

My Grandson
James Patrick

Tonight while taking his bath, James asked his mother a question she has been dreading.  James 
stops playing, looks dead pan into his mother's face and asks, "Mama, why do I have *the palsy* (his name for CP)? My daughter, holds her breath and begins to share with James what "the palsy" means, but before she gets more than 1 sentence out, James interrupts to ask, "Do any of my friends have "the palsy"?...Mother, "Well, 1-2 of your friends have Cerebral Palsy but none of your friends at school have CP."  And just as deadpan as he could be, he says,
 "Oh?! (said as though he has had an Ah Hah, Lightbulb moment)
Is *the palsy* why I'm so AWESOME ?"

I GUESS, IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT A SITUATION!
YOU CAN EITHER BE A GLASS HALF EMPTY OR A GLASS HALF FULL
KIND OF PERSON.
PERSONALLY, I LIKE JAMES'S PHILOSOPHY BEST!  HE MAY JUST BE THE WISEST LITTLE FELLA I KNOW!

James Patrick
was born 8 weeks premature
with a Grade 3 Brain Bleed
This is his MRI

JAMES IN NICU...OCT. 7, 2007

 JAMES AND HIS FIRST WHEELS
                               
                                            JAMES , AGE 2 1/2, SDR SURGERY, ST. LOUIS                                       SCAR....BUT SO WORTH IT!   
                                                                                 
                                           AFTER SURGERY PHYSICAL THERAPY                                          
                                                JAMES IN ADELLI SUIT DEVELOPED FROM THE
                                                          SPACE PROGRAM TO GIVE SPATIAL
                                                             ORIENTATION TO CP CHILDREN
                                                                            

                                             JAMES GROOMING HIS HORSE PRINCESS
                                   
                                                                   COWBOY JAMES  
     
                                                           SCHOOL PICTURES 2012                        
                             
                                             JAMES BEING INTERVIEWED ON LOCAL TV
                           
                                                JAMES AND HIS FAKE BLACK-EYE


                                                      JAMES READING WITH SANTA  

                                                 
                                                        JAMES AND MOMMY
                           
                                      DADDY, MOMMY, AND JAMES


Today, James is enrolled in a typical Kindergarten class with an aide to help him maneuver from place to place.  In the classroom he uses a walker or canes along with the braces he wears on his legs and feet.
Academically, James is right on grade level and somewhat above with his reading.  He uses a device called an alphasmart to take spelling tests by using a keyboard.  This device is needed since his lack of motor control over his arms and hands prevents him from holding a pencil. Next year he will receive an IPad for written work.  Recently, another MRI was done to rule out any anomalies that would explain his nocturnal seizures.  Nothing had changed since the one you see at the top of this post.  However, within the last month, James has had a few peti mal seizures at school.  Medications have improved his concentration but further adjustment is needed to control the seizures.  Given all his physical disabilities, James is a delightfully funny, articulate, little 6 yr. old boy who loves people, his music, his dog Neela, his cat Flower, and just happens to think of himself as AWESOME.  
My Grandmama Prayer for James is to always believe in himself while having empathy for others.
I would say that is a Glass Half Full Philosophy!

BLESSINGS




27 comments:

  1. Awesome is the right term. James, you rock!

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  2. James sounds like a super awesome kid! I so love his philosophy. He is also one very cute little guy! Thanks for sharing. ~Jeanne

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  3. Thank you for sharing James Patrick's story! He is truly awesome... and cute too!

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  4. Thank you for sharing James with us, he is an Angel on earth.

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  5. James is right. He is awesome! His glass seems to be more than half full! Keep on cherishing him. He will grow up to be amazing.

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  6. His smile makes me smile! Awesome boy, awesome story!

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  7. Every time I hear about James it makes my heart sing, he is such an inspiration to us all. I love his laugh, it makes me want to smile too, I love his attitude to life, we can all learn a lot from him. He is correct he is truly amazing. I am going to go and slap myself around the head now for complaining I am feeling tired this morning :-) (((hugs))) for James xxx

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  8. The Lord's glory certainly shines through James.

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  9. Through tears, I think Awesome is an understatement. You go James, what a fantastic outlook, good for him. What an inspiration to all of us. Thank you for brightening my day! Toni Anne ;->

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  10. Beautiful, sweet and totally awesome!! He is definitely an angel sent from Heaven. Hugs and kisses from another grandmother. God Bless all of you.

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  11. James is awesome, and obviously has some awesome people around him that have shown him the right way to look at life.

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  12. James sounds amazing! There are many people that could learn a lesson from his outlook on life.

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  13. Thank You for sharing about your bundle of Sunshine! I needed that!

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  14. It is obvious that CP doesn't hold James back. I love that smile. I hope that the seizures are soon under control. Today's technology offers lots of great tools for awesome kids like James. (My 2 year old grandson is a Wiz on the iPad. He's learned a lot from "playing".)

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  15. James has attitude! Great attitude at that. Sometimes CP kids have a better outlook on life. Nothing will stop him. It appears he is surrounded by a loving family.

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  16. Out of the mouths of Children. It says a lot about his family

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  17. Yeah from another Grammie who has a little grandson who is blind. He has exactly the same wonderful attitude and has certainly taught me so much abot glass half full.

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  18. Kids like James are why I enjoyed teaching them so much in a self-contained special ed class - loved my happy, joyful kids who embraced life and everything it had to offer. The glass is definitely overflowing for James!!!

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  19. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone had a little of what James finds in his glass! What a ray of sunshine!!

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  20. So wise for such a young lad and his story is an inspiration to people with issues everywhere. he has a bright future ahead of him.

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  21. Jane...your grandson is a beautiful boy in every sense of the word...with an awesome attitude, an awesome smile and an awesome spirit that will not break. What a beautiful family you have Jane...and yes...James you are awesome!!

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  22. James is a reminder to us all that we must look to all the positive things in our lives, like his wonderful grandmumm, I just adore this fellow, he makes all the silly stuff go away…his makes my heart smile..yes he does…HI James, you Rock and ROLLLLLL

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  23. With that story, you know that James is going to be more than okay. My grandson was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was 2 1/2. Unfortunately, his story doesn't end as well--he died at age 7, but his outlook on life was amazing, and he taught us many things--what we should be thankful for, that the little things that annoy us aren't really that important, and that we need to let those we love know it, for they might not have a tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your incredible James.

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  24. This is a beautiful story, and James is an amazing child. I have to imagine that the support of his family had a good deal to do with his outlook on life, and his sense of awesomeness. Bless you all!
    ~Lynda

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Blessings to all of you who have taken the time to leave your thoughtful comments. I read each one and hope you will come back often!

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