My daughter, Kassidy-Jade, is as pretty as they come:  big, dark brown eyes fringed with impossibly-long lashes, a tiny, snub nose, pretty, bow-shaped lips, a round face the color of cafe-au-lait, perfectly-sculpted eyebrows, and long, black hair that tumbles past the middle of her back in a mass of wild, haphazard curls.  She is absolutely gorgeous!

Kassidy-Jade is also handicapped.  She was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy when she was only a few months old; doctors didn't think she'd make it to the age of two.  She's now six.

Kassidy-Jade is in a wheelchair:  she cannot walk; never has, never will, unfortunately.  She also has breathing problems and has to sleep with oxygen at night.  The nighttime is always the worst time for her; this is when she is more likely to get sick.  Sometimes she gets so ill she has to go to the hospital for treatment because she can't get her breath again.

We know that her disease will end up killing her; this is why every moment we have with her is precious.  The fact that Kassie has lived this long has been a huge answer to prayer; we'd like nothing more than to see her have a chance to make it to high school and possibly to college.  Hope springs eternal, as they always say; some days it's the only thing we have left, especially when Kassidy-Jade ends up in the hospital again.

Besides Kassidy-Jade, we have two other children:  eight-year-old Heather Dawn and four-year-old Grayson Chance.  Kassie is in the middle.  I worry about Heather and Grayson; I know they are bothered by Kassidy-Jade's medical/physical problems.  I try to teach them that what she has isn't catching and that even with all her problems, she is still a child first and foremost and she should be treated as such.  Kassie may have needs, but she is like any other child.  She loves to play, watch television, read, and go on trips, just like they do.

We don't know why Heather and Grayson didn't end up with SMA, but we are thankful for that.  Having one disabled child is bad enough; we couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to have three.  It would probably be one of the worst experiences we could ever face as parents!

When Kassie is well, she loves to read (anything about princesses is fine with her!), watch television ("Caillou" and "Sesame Street" are her favorites; she also loves "America's Got Talent"), go on trips with her family, go to the mall, go to school (Kassie goes to a school for children with special needs; she'll be in the first grade when school resumes in September; she just completed kindergarten), and playing with her toys or computer games.  Kassie is a very busy (not to mention, happy) little girl.

Well, I hate to run, but I have to get Kassidy-Jade up and get her clothes, breakfast, and medications ready.  She also has to have a bath and have her morning breathing treatment.  After all that, Doug (he's my husband) has to take her to her doctor's; it's her three-month checkup.  Hopefully she will have a good report from Dr. Ignatz.  I will write more in here another time; until later, this is Kate Woonsocket saying so long!  God bless!

~Kate Woonsocket, Plano, Texas.  :)

*to be continued.*