My tiny guy.  That is what I call my three-year-old son, Jason Daniel (J.D.), because he is.  He's the light in my world whenever it threatens to go dark.  He is the glue that holds me together when I threaten to "lose it".

Jason Daniel is three years old, but he looks no older than one, one-and-a-half on a good day.  He is extremely tiny.  He also has very little hair on his head, a thin, pinched face, a beaked nose, and a small mouth.  He looks like a little old man in a three-year-old boy's body.

Jason was born seemingly healthy, but when he wouldn't grow, we became concerned.  We took him to doctor to doctor, searching and demanding answers.  Nobody had a clue.  Then one doctor suggested that we see a geneticist or a rare disease specialist because he suspected that our son had something rare.  (Duh!)  So we went to Dr. Piker; it was he who diagnosed J.D.'s progeria.

Progeria.  What was it?  It was something we'd had never even heard of, yet it sounded scary just the same.  Whereupon, Mike (my husband) and I started peppering him with questions.  Would he live?  Would he die?  What would be the ramifications of his illness?

It turned out that progeria (or rapid aging) would kill our son before he reached the age of twenty ... if he lived that long.  He would be subjected to the problems of old age:  arthritis.  Hardening of the arteries.  Poor circulation.  Risk of heart attack or stroke.  High blood pressure.  Osteoperosis.  Any number of alarming problems that usually strike older people instead of children who are just beginning to live.

The news was, as you can imagine, devastating.  We refused to believe that our son had such a severe problem, yet we couldn't deny it.  All we could do was try to be there for J.D. when he was sick or needed us the most and try to make his life memorable.  We cried like there was no tomorrow.

Jason Daniel is now three years old and still growing strong, amazing his doctors with his will to live and his courage.  He laughs all the time and he never lets anything slow him down.  When he does get sick, we spend time with him and pray he gets well; when he recovers, he is back to his former, active, happy self.  Even falls don't slow him down (much).  Seems the kid is always on Energizer Bunny mode!  LOL  He can wear out even the most experienced babysitter!  LOL

We don't know how long he has, but we plan on making every moment count.  He loves to play with his toy trucks and cars and with his older brother, Nelson Kincaid, who is six.  They are the best of friends, even though J.D. is so much smaller.  He only comes up to his brother's armpit, even though only three years separate them in age.

Nelson has become J.D.'s personal advocate.  He is the first one to defend him if people stare or make rude comments.  I am proud of our older boy because he has to deal with something that most kids don't: living with a sick brother who will never get any better.  He is a joy to be around, and the two boys are extremely close with one another.

Well, I hear Jason singing; he must be up.  That is how he usually greets the day.  With a song on his lips.  I will go and get the boys' breakfasts ready and start the day.  I will write in here again soon; until then, this is Wendy Grace Tolliver saying so long!  God bless!

~Love, Wendy Grace, Bismark, North Dakota.

*to be continued.*