Maddison Grace is everything she could ever hope to be.  She's charming, funny, outgoing, very intelligent, and fun to be around.

When people first meet our six-year-old daughter, they soon forget that she cannot walk without crutches and braces.  They see her for the delightful child that she is, which is the way we would rather have it.

Maddison was born with spina bifida (mylomengocele), which means that she was born paralyzed from the waist on down.   At first, the news devastated us, but we soon learned that we could give her a full, rewarding life, and that is exactly what we have done.  She has accepted her disability better than we ever could have done; she knows she is "different" from the other children, but it definitely doesn't make her stupid.  

Maddi didn't walk until she was four; last year, she graduated to using the type of crutches clamped to her forearms.  Sometimes she falls, but even falls don't slow her down any.  She just climbs up her crutches and pops back up, like a little jack-in-the-box.  Maddi is very determined; always has been.

Like any child, Maddi has dreams.  Right now, she would like to become a princess.  She loves anything having to do with princesses or queens; her bedroom is a fairytale land come to life.  She also loves the color pink (or purple); if she could, she'd wear pink all of the time! LOL  When she is older, she would like to become a teacher or a nurse, but right now, being a "princess" suits her just fine.  

She loves to read (Maddi can read books for middle-grade readers), write stories or poems, play games on her computer, dance (she goes to a dance class for children with special needs; she absolutely loves it!), sing (she takes voice lessons; she's always had a gift for music), and play with her friends.  Maddi has always had a "creative streak" in her, and we plan on nurturing it as much as possible (as long as she enjoys it).

This past Christmas, Maddi sang a solo at our church.  She sang "O, Holy Night".  She sang like an angel.  There were people in the audience who cried; I think we, her mom and dad, cried the hardest (and the loudest!).  She did a beautiful job; people are still talking about it nearly four months later.

Maddi isn't our only child.  We have a son, Mason, who is eight, and Markie, who is ten, but they would both bend over backwards to make sure their sister has a good life.  They are very good, very loving, very patient with her; all our kids get along great, much to our relief.  They are very accepting of her physical limitations and will defend her from bullies.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our daughter.  She is a gift from God; we cannot imagine our lives without her.  Our lives are made better because OF her.  She is our Miracle-Girl, and I hope you have a chance to meet her.  Chances are, once you do, you will never be the same.  Lord knows, we aren't!