If I could make life easier for my daughter, believe me, I would in a New York nanosecond!
My name is Brenda Coleman. I live in Dallas, Texas, with my husband, Peter (he's a cop) and our four children: Brent (15), Gia (13), Shaoshanna Hope (9), and Ridgely Michael (5). I am a homemaker/home school teacher. (Shao does go to a special school for children with multiple disabilities; we feel that this would be best for her.)
Our second youngest child was adopted from China when she was four. She's been with our family for the past five years and we could not be happier; however, she does have special needs that warrent medical attention from time to time. First of all, she has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair (she will probably never walk; the damage to her brain was too great). Second, she has seizures which cause her to have convulsions every few months. We are trying to find the right combination of medications so as to control them.
It is very frustrating, to say the least.
In addition, Shao has vision impairments. She is blind. Because of this, Shao seems a lot younger than she actually is. At the age of nine, she is jut learning how to read via special computer software and voice technology (word-books that tell her the story, so she can hear the words being said, sine she can't see them visually). She is learning Braille and will soon go to a special school to learn how to get around and how to work with a guide dog (or in her case, an assistance dog, who will act as her arms and legs, as well as her eyes)..
Shao is in the second grade, where she is in a class for children with multiple special needs/disabilities; there, teachers and aides can work one-on-one with the children, to help them reach their fullest potential. We are hopeful that Shao will learn to write and read in her own special way. Shao seems to be a very smart little girl, but her physical handicaps prevent her from being able to learn as other children do.
We don't know if she will ever walk; right now her neurologists don't think she will. That is okay. We will do everything possible to give her a good life and let her know that being in a wheelchair (or having different disabilities) isn't necessarily a bad thing (and it ishouldn't be).
Shao loves to listen to the radio (music is something she adores: country, pop, rock, rap, gospel, Cajun: you name it and she loves it!) and to snuggle with her rabbit, "Boobah" (don't ask where she got that name). She loves to be held or cuddled or to play with her brothers and sister and to feel the sunshine or wind or rain on her face. She loves being outside.
Well, it is time for us to give Shao her medications for the evening; we will then put her to bed as she has school tomorrow (as do Gia, Ridgely, and Brent). While Shao goes to special school, I teach the other three children here at home. Shao has too many special needs for me to be able to teach her effectively, so this is why she goes to school outside our home.
I will write in here again another time; somehow I feel that this isn't the last you wlll hear about Shao or our family in general. Take care and may God bless you; I hope you enjoyed reading about our little family!
~Brenda, your new friend in Texas. :)
