Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009~

Dear All~

The name Winter Lake may not be familiar to you; however, I bet you know my son.  Nathan.   I am Nathan Lake's mother.  My son has written in his journal; he's the one kids call "The Creature", on account of his facial deformities.

My son had surgery on his eyes a little less than a week ago.  I am happy to tell you all went well.  Very well, in fact.  He gets the bandages off this week; until then, he cannot see; I have to do everything for him or help him get from place to place.  It's been hard, but if the surgery's helped his vision, it will be worth everything!

My son has Apert's syndrome.  The surgery he had isn't the first time he's been under the knife.  He had his first surgery when he was a little baby, not long after he was born.  He's had more surgeries since; some have been relatively easy; others, meanwhile, have been complicated.  This latest surgery was one of his easier ones, even though they operated on his eyes.

Nathan has had to put up with a lot of guff from kids.  They call him horrible names.  Monster.  The Creature.  Ugly.  Quasimodo.  It's no wonder he's felt bad about himself in the past; it really hurts me when kids don't give him a chance because they can't get past his face.

It really makes me angry.  Nathan is a kid just like you.  He didn't ask to have facial deformities; it just happened. 

We've had to fight like hell to get him where he is at now; he's had to fight to reach his dreams, goals in life.  People don't make it easy for those who live with less-than-perfect bodies, and I'm tired of having to fight for my son!

My son's tried to commit suicide on account of being teased, ridiculed; it was only by the grace of God that he didn't die.  Now he goes to church, is trying to get by in life, and is turning into a very well-rounded young man who only wants to be accepted in life, even with his facial deformity.  He's been going to church less than a year; however, I see the change in him, and I like what I am seeing.

Nathan is a very likeable young man.  He's funny.  Smart.  Very articulate in his manner of speaking.  Very courteous.  Compassionate.  Loving.  I see all these qualities in my son; others, however, don't.  All they see is a deformed young teenaged boy who has an ugly face; they can't get past that, and it angers me to no end! 

All I am asking is this:  please look beyond the face, look at the heart of my son.  See what I see.  Get to know the real Nathan Thomas Lake.  I bet you will like what you see.  I know you will!

I am just relieved that his latest surgery went without incident; we are both counting the days to where his bandages will come off.  The world will be a lot clearer for Nathan; he will probably feel a lot better about himself.  He has been terrified about this surgery; he was scared about becoming blind. 

It's bad enough he has his facial deformities; I don't know what he (or I) would have done if he'd lost his sight, too.  I don't think we could ever get over it!  It would have been our worst nightmare come true !

Just keep us in your prayers, pray that once the bandages are removed, that he will be seeing better than he was prior to the operation!  We would appreciate it very much!

Nathan is sorry he isn't able to write; he says he will get back to it as soon as he can.  He misses it terribly!  Until then, I'm his voice as he recovers from the surgery. 

Thanks for listening, and may God bless you always!

~Sincerely, Winter Michelle Lake, Nathan's mother.  :)