We have a beautiful little boy in our son, Burleson Michael.  Burleson is six years old; yet he's had to face more adversity in life than most people do in their entire lifetime.

Burleson was born four and a half months premature, weighing less than 12 ounces at birth.  He spent six months in a NICU ward at a children's hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, over 100 miles away from where we live.  (We live in a little mountain community on the Tennessee/Kentucky border.)

That he survived his birth is nothing short of a miracle.

Now at the age of six, he is continuing to amaze his doctors, his therapists, even us.  Burleson has been walking for a year now, walking with braces on his legs and a wheeled walker; however, he is still walking, when doctors said he never would. 

He is also learning to talk, learning sign language.  At the age of six, he is hard of hearing, has a noticable speech impediment, and is legally blind.

He is so full of life, even with all these problems.  Burleson plays baseball on a team for kids with disabilities, and there isn't anything he wou't tackle, try to do on his own.  He's the type of kid who won't accept any help from others unless he asks for it on his own.

Besides Burleson, we have two other children: a daughter, Houston Marie (eight) and a second son, Austin Icarus, who is two; but it is Burleson who usually grabs the attention from others because of his personality.  He has an easygoing way about him; nothing really makes him sad or unhappy.

I'd rather have people notice Burleson's achievements than his imperfections; however that usually doesn't happen, which makes me angry.  He's as normal as any other child; he just happens to be disabled.  I'd rather people treat him like the child he is instead of an outsider.

There is absolutely nothing this child can't do.  He may do things differently, but he still can do whatever he sets his little mind to! :)

I will be writing more about our family in the future.  You haven't heard the last from us!  I feel I have many more stories, not only about Burleson, but our other children, even us. 

Take care, and may the good Lord bless y'all mightily!~

~Love, Burleson's mama, Helen Renee' Siddows, Manchester, Kentucky.

P.S.:  You notice my kids all have Texas cities for their names.  Well, I can explain that.  My husband, Totter, was born in San Antonio, Texas; he absolutely loves Texas; he wouldn't mind going back. :)