My name is Adam.  I am seven years old.

I live with my family in Norman, Oklahoma.

When you first see me, you may be sad.  I cannot walk or talk.  I am in a wheelchair.  I also breathe with a respirator.  I was born with brain damage and it affected my body.  I have to have a lot of care.

Sometimes I get sad, but I know I can't help what happened to me.  When I was born, my umbilical cord got all twisted and it cut off any oxygen from getting to me, so I ended up having problems.  

I have a big sister, Emily, who is eight.  She and mommy and daddy take very good care of me.  They make sure I am comfortable and have what I need.  They feed me though my tummy button (I cannot eat like you can) or squirt give me medicines through this same way, so I don't get sick or have seizures.  They are very good with me, and I love them an awful lot!

I am in the second grade.  I am in Ms. Hanigan's class.  There are six other kids in the class; they are disabled and are in wheelchairs, too, just like me, but Andrea can walk on crutches for short trips.  

I breathe with a respirator because sometimes I forget to breathe and the oxygen in my blood goes down, which sets off an alarm to remind me to breathe.  It's a pain, but that's part of my disability.  I'm grateful that I can at least breathe, even if I do have to have help!

I can't talk, but I can talk with my computer, which is how I am typing to you now (I have a pointer thingie I wear on my head and I hit the keys on my computer to make words).

I just wish people would stop staring or running away when they first see me.  That makes me very sad!  I am not a monster; I am a human kid who is disabled!!  I just want to be like anyone else or treated like anybody else!

Well, I gotta go.  It's gonna be lunch time soon.  It takes about an hour to feed me.  I will write in here again soon; so take care! Bye for now!