Karley Rose is our shining star. We cannot imagine our lives without her.
My name is Grafton Kibodeaux. I live in Lafayette, Louisiana, with my wife of fourteen years, Gloria, and our three children: Preston James (10), Karley Rose (7), and Jaimie Avanee' (4). I am a instructor at Louisiana State-Lafayette; my wife, meanwhile, is a stay-at-home mother and homeschool teacher.
Karley Rose was born with cerebral palsy. She cannot walk or talk, but what she lacks physically, she is otherwise as sharp as a tack. She is incredibly smart (sometimes too smart for her own good, says her brother LOL)!
Karley was born five months early, weighing less than a can of Coke (and just only slightly bigger). That she survived such an extreme birth is nothing short of a miracle; we give God all of our praise for letting our baby girl live.
Karlay is now in the first grade; she is mainstreamed into regular classes. She does have therapy on Mondays and Friday; they've helped her tremendously; she can now do things she couldn't do six months back. While she may never walk on her own, she will eventually be able to take care of most of her needs by the time she reaches high school, according to her primary doctors.
As you can probably guess by our last name, yes, we are Cajun French. I am teaching the children to appreciate their Cajun heritage; both Jaimie and Preston speak Cajun French as fluently as English, and Jaimie and Preston are both musically gifted. Jaimie plays the fiddle (has already learned several songs in the short time she's played it!), and Preston plays the Cajun French accordion like a pro. Even though he is only ten, he plays like someone who is much older; he can learn a song after hearing it only once or twice!
Preston plays during the weekends as part of his uncle's Cajun band, "Cajun Bon Temps Band"; he is often the featured performer. He has to be; he plays the accordion, and the accordion is always the featured (lead) instrument in most Cajun bands! He is very good, and he loves the new Martin accordion we got him for Christmas! He's taken to it like the proverbial duck takes to water!
In any event, Karley has made our world all that more special. We cannot imagine not having her, and just because she is disabled physically shouldn't mean we should deny her the best of what life has to offer. Maybe one day she will be able to pick up an instrument and play like her brother and sister do; it would be a wonderful dream come true !
Sometimes we are sad that our daughter cannot walk or talk, but none of that has ever stopped her before. We can try to help her in any way we can and try to make her life all that more meaningful and special for her.
Well, I have to run. Jaimie is crying; have to see what is going on. She has a very bad cold and she doesn't feel good. I will write in here again soon; take care and God bless!
~Sincerely, your new Cajun friend, Grafton Kibodeaux, Lafayette, Louisiana. :)
