Our son, Hinson Agnew, is 14 years old and we cannot imagine not having him in our lives.

Hinson was born with ten fingers and toes: he seemed perfect, but then the doctors discovered that he was born with severe brain damage.  He would never be the same, and neither would we.

It was the worst possible thing that could have ever happened to us; however, we were determined to give him a viable life, so that is what we did (and still continue TO do).

At the age of fourteen, Hinson is in a wheelchair: he cannot walk.  He also cannot talk or feed himself, yet he can see and hear perfectly.  He can let you know what is going on with him by the sounds he makes or by the expressions on his face.  He is a very good communicator.

For many people it takes a while for them to pick up on his signs or expressions but once they learn, they discvoer that it isn't very hard.  Hinson has a very good mind and happens to be very smart but his physical problems oversee that, which is sad, because many people are missing out in getting to know the boy we know.

Besides Hinson, we have two other children: ten-year-old Hadlee Rose and nine-year-old Hudson Rock.  They are also the lights of our lives and would do anything to help their big brother.  They are very compassionate and loving towards him and have accepted him far better than most people.  They look past his obvious imperfections and treat Hinson with the dignity and respect that he rightfully deserves.

Adair (my husband) and myself (Hada) are very proud of Hadlee and Hudson.  They are much more attuned to this world than a lot of people, grownups included.  And they are very good with Hinson.  They love to help feed, bathe, and dress/undress him, which gives us a bit of a break while we prepare supper or catch a quick breather and spend a little time with each other.

People think that Hudson is nothing but "a lump or a vegetable" but as I mentioned earlier, Hinson knows a lot more than people realize.  He can give love and receive it and he can tell you how he is doing through his facial expressions, noises, or eyes.  He loves to be held and read to and as long as people are paying attention to him, he's happy, which, in turn, makes US happy.

Well, it's about time to leave, so Adair and myself can pick up the kids from school.  They go for a half day today and then they are off until a week from this coming Monday, for Thanksgiving break.  I know the kids will enjoy the break from school.  I know we will enjoy having them home and having them help us put up the tree, lights, and decorations.  And we can also see relatives or friends who will stop by.  The Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays are always a joyous time in our home!

Until later, this is Hada Ortego saying so long! God bless you this approaching holiday season ... and always!

~Hada, Fond-du-Lac, Wisconsin.