One thing I just LOVE about having a farm is when people come to visit. We love getting company. But sometimes in life you get a really special person to visit.
A friend of mine, Ginger, has a son with metachromatic leukodystrophy.
(say that 5 times fast)
She asked me if they could come and visit the farm. I said no problem. We'd love to have you guys!
Garrett was diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy when he was 5 years old. He'll be 15 this Sunday. He was in a wheelchair within 6 months and had a feeding tube within 9 months and could no longer speak after 11 months. At 15 years old he only weighs 40 lbs.
This is a brutal illness. It's robbed Garrett of his childhood and has created more stress in a family that anyone could ever imagine.
His family is amazing, but his mother Ginger, is the one to be admired. She has done so much for her son. She takes care of him 24/7. She doesn't get much respite from healthcare. I don't think she's even ever considered putting him in an institution.
He needs frequent suctioning and constant re-positioning.
What breaks my heart is that Garrett understands everything. I cannot even begin to imagine what he's going through.
Just close yours eyes for a minute and imagine not being able to move, to eat, to swallow, to speak, to make your needs understood, to be at the mercy of everyone around you. You can't even toss and turn at night. You're trapped. You're trapped in a body that has betrayed you.
No I cannot imagine.
But this is what this kid is going through everyday.
We can only thank our Lord that he has a wonderful family that loves him and would do anything for him.
I'm not going to go through the problems Ginger has with healthcare and getting help physically, mentally and financially. Because that would probably take a book, not just a short post.
I just wanted to bring awareness to this illness and to Garrett.
Happy Birthday Garrett! You've come a long way baby.
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| Garrett petting Denise our new kid |
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| Ginger helping Garrett hold a chick |
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| Ginger making donkey sounds to get Garrett to smile. |
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| Going for a donkey ride...kind of |
Have a Blessed Evening
Lisa
So nice Garrett could come to your farm. :O)
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa my name is Kim I ran across your comment on "the gardeners cottage" and for whatever reason I decided to check you out
ReplyDelete:-) I'm really glad that I did...I scrolled down to this post about Garrett. With tears in my eyes over the seemingly unfairness of life, I would like to (hopefully) briefly share with you the life of my brother Brian and in return maybe you could share this with Ginger. My brother Brian was born with Cerebral Palsy, probably the worst case of it you could get and still be alive. He could do absolutely nothing, Brian could make some noises and nod his head and smile, but what a beautiful smile! My mom and dad fed him, dressed him, took him to the bathroom positioned him in either wheelchair or on couch or in bed. He was a joy to our family...because of our parents. He lived for 39 years when the doctors said he would be lucky to live for 20, they went through surgery's with him, praying that the Lord see him through. He died Oct. 2011 while laying on the couch watching some of his favorite shows on t.v. with my parents. He passed peacefully and we are all secure in the knowledge that he is now with the Lord! My parents have not suffered a bit of guilt because they know they did everything they possibly could, the Lord kept them strong while Brian was alive and they praise God for that because they were in their late 70's. We are all so thankful for Brian, he made each of us who we are today, who says a severely handicapped person has no influence in another persons life!!! Anyway, while Brian and Garrett have two very different problems, I hope that Ginger and her family can glean a little bit from what I just shared and remember that God's ways are higher than our ways! There is purpose to every life out there! I do enjoy your blog and look forward to becoming a follower!
Thanks for that wonderful comment. I'm going to pass it on to Ginger right away.
ReplyDeleteIt's weird how the Lord sent you from one blog to mine. He works in strange ways we will never figure out.
Lisa