Amanda is 19 years old. She was born with what was described to me as immature muscles. She has always been a bright, fun loving lil' Princess. When she was very little my mom nicknamed her "Amanda Janie Cake's, miss baby pitch fit". Of course the Amanda Jane stuck. She was milk intolerant so needless to say there were many sleepless nights.

We really started to notice that something wasn't quite right around 6 months. We had finally convinced her Pediatrician, there may be a concern. He scheduled an appointment at Loma Linda, they had to cancel and we were getting ready to relocate to a different state. When we arrived in Grand Junction, Colorado, we scheduled another appointment with a new Pediatrician, Dr. John Pelner. He took one look at her and looked at me and said " I think she has Cerebral Palsy". Wow! To this day I have the utmost respect for him, he wasn't afraid, and he had the consideration to be honest with me. I want to thank him where ever he is now, for being an inspiration in Amanda's and my life.

We proceeded to our next steps, all those tests. The hardest on for me was the chromosome testing. I couldn't stand watching them stick that LONGGGGGG needle in her. To make the beginning history short. The results showed that Amanda had Schizencephaly, Microcephaly, moderately severe spastic quadriplegia, Cerebral Palsy, They also called her a "floppy baby and that she had one side that actually was worse than the other. My only thoughts then and now were making her life the best that it could be and doing all I could to make that happen. I loved her before her disability and today I love her even more despite her disability. Why? Because she isn't her disability. Amanda is witty, funny, adventurous, loving, tender, intelligent, beautiful, very social, and very, very sweet spirited child. She expresses her mind in what ever way she can and she doesn't stop until you get it. 

One of the things that they told us was that the intelligence part of her brain was intact and functioning, they of course wouldn't give a prognosis of how much she would know or if mental retardation was a factor. I didn't care, I still don't. I as a fellow human being do not feel that is my right to decide. Especially when they say a special needs child can't, that child usually will do exactly what they have said they couldn't do. I believe that our children grow as much as they do because of our determination for them. 

We have had our ups and downs, but this is a statement that many people have misunderstood. Those ups and downs were never her. When you look into those eyes and see that someone whom is full of life and total understanding , it is frustrating when someone else doesn't take the time to notice it too. Today Amanda attends High School here in Selah Washington. She has many friends that she likes going to the mall with. She love being a young lady right down to the perfume, fashions, nail polish and BOYS. Her favorite color is purple. Her hobbies are computers, going for walks, collecting trolls, angels and Teddy Bears. Her favorite scent is Tea Rose. She loves music. All kinds, she doesn't care. Especially Grammy's classical. She loves making people laugh and with her contagious laughter it doesn't take long to have a whole room laughing. She loves children, the baby's really make her happy. She has watched her 4 siblings grow up and I have always thought of them as the babies she may never have. I think that they too, have a very special relationship with her. They get really upset when someone babies Amanda. They comment "She doesn't like being babied."

 No matter where she goes she brightens someone's life. I don't think that they ever get her out of their mind, she has such a powerful effect on every one especially on this mom. She refuses to let me be discouraged, When I am sad she starts that laughing until I am laughing right beside her. If that isn't intelligence and wisdom then I don't know what it is except, love.  

How's Amanda in 2003???

This story is about Amanda the inspiration in my personal life whom helped breathe the existence of life into the support group now known as "Amanda's Friends". In the following months we will continue to have features on all the friends of Amanda's. Your special angel deserves to have his/her voice heard too.