Lucas Drake Ibbotson is my name. I live in Carlsbad, New Mexico, with my family. I am eight years old. I have two sisters, who are older. Their names are Larkspur and Kiera, and they are ten and thirteen. I'm eight, as I just said.
I am not like most kids. I have a disease that is causing me to turn into stone. I fell off a slide when I was three years old, and for some weird reason, my body went nuts. You know how your body heals after you break a bone? Well, that's how it is with me: my body keeps "making" new bone, and for some reason, it can't stop. For this reason, I have a lot of trouble walking or moving around, and I'm often in a lot of pain. It's no fun having this disease; it's really a pain!
The disease I have is called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, but that is way too hard for me to say (or spell), so I just call it FOP for short. It's a lot easier that way. Anyway, most people have never heard of it, and most kids don't understand why I hurt all the time or have trouble getting around. Eventually, I might need a wheelchair, but for now I can walk. I just wish I could run around like my friends; I hate not being able to play baseball or football with them!
While my friends are running around outside, I'm usually doing something like reading a book, playing on my laptop computer, or writing stories or poems. I'm a very good writer. I'm also a very good speller. My mom and dad tell me I'm very smart. I had to become smart, so I could learn all about this disease that I have, this FOP.
My disease will eventually kill me, as more bone grows and develops. Every month, I have to see my special doctor, to see how I'm doing, to see if any more bone is growing inside me. Sometimes there is, but often times, there's not. When there's new bone, I get worried because if I get too much, it could crowd my heart or lungs, and it would kill me. I'm only eight years old; I don't want to think about dying at such a young age! I'm only a little boy! I should be thinking about what I want to do in life, not thinking about my funeral or how I am going to die!!
The reason I can't do a lot of running around is because I could fall, and that could make the bone in my body grow faster. So I have to be very careful and watch what I do.
I stay still so I don't fall and die sooner than I'm going to! If I fell, that would be bad. That would be very bad!!
Larkspur and Kiera are very patient with me, but they sometimes say I drive them crazy. Well, what about them? Sometimes they pick on me or call me names like "Squirt" or "Maggothead", which I don't like! When they do this, I smack them one or tell them to leave me alone, but most of the time, we get along good.
Well, we gotta eat and get ready for church, so I will go for now. I will write in here again; if not, my mom or dad will. Until then, this is your friend, Lucas Ibbotson, saying so long! God bless!
~Lucas Drake Ibbotson. :)
*to be continued.*
