I don't know what I would do if I didn't have God in my life.  Life for me (as well as Maranda) would be very different, that is for sure!

My name is Grace Pendleton.  I am married to Robbie; we've been married now for seven years.  We have one daughter named Maranda Hope; Maranda is 11 years old and has severe spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.  She was born with severe brain damage.  At 11, she cannot walk, talk, feed herself, or dress herself.  She requires constant care around the clock; it's not easy, but with God's help, we've been able to manage quite well, all things considering.

For the longest time, people suggested we put Maranda into an institution for children with special needs; both Robbie and I told them nothing doing, for Maranda would probably get much better care here at home.  We've been proving them wrong ever since.  Maranda may have many problems, but she's quite healthy.  Her last hospital stay was four years ago, when she was seven; that was when she had her feeding tube placed, and ever since, there have been very few issues with her health.

Robbie and I try to include Maranda in everything we do.  We take her with us wherever we go: to the store, to church, out to eat, to the movies, even to the mall.  She loves getting out; it sure beats sitting at home all day in her wheelchair or lying in her hospital bed, looking at the squirrels chasing one another on the tree branches outside her window!  She loves interacting with people, feeling the frosty air on her face, or smelling the odors of wintertime or looking at the Christmas lights.  She saw the fireworks last night when we went to downtown Nashville; she had a ball and laughed herself silly at the noise of the fireworks exploding overhead!

We don't know what the future holds for our daughter, but one thing is for certain: we will try to make sure her life is full of joy and we are not going to sit back or let people tell us what to do with her or how we should raise her!  Maranda is our daughter, not theirs!!