You don't have any eyes.
You don't have a brain.
Why do you look funny?
These are some questions Dexter has been asked
and Lenice and Andrew try to be brave.
They try to ignore the pain and hurt.
Sometimes, they answer
but sometimes, they walk away.
Dexter does look funny.
I mean, those eyelashes are ridiculously long and thick!
Have you seen them!? They can't be real!
But, Dexter doesn't pick his nose... ever!
And that means,
In fact, Dexter doesn't get a runny nose.
(He tends to go straight to pneumonia.)
Dexter does have cerebral palsy,
and that means he often pulls his cerebral palsy face.
We started calling it that a long time ago.
Sometimes, he holds his mouth open for a long time.
Sometimes, he drools.... and he still likes to spit.
So, sometimes, he does pull funny faces...
Dexter is working on his vision.
We've got a few years where we can
help him learn to see colours and shapes.
The moments he fixes his gaze on our faces are priceless.
Other times, he can't see much and his eyes don't look at you.
That unsettles some people.
To them, I guess it makes Dexter 'look funny'.
But, just because Dexter has a vision impairment,
does not mean he has no eyes.
He has gorgeous eyes.
The colours in them are beautiful,
and they are encircled by a band of dark blue.
He has eyes and they work perfectly...
it's the message to his brain that gets lost.
Dexter's brain just works differently.
He does have a brain.
It was badly hurt when he was a baby.
It has trouble doing what Dexter wants it to do,
so Dexter tries harder than most people.
Dexter wants to sit up, so he never gives up.
He wants to walk, so he tries and tries.
He tries until he hurts and then he tries some more.
Dexter's incredibly brave and very stubborn!
He has a brain...
it works a little differently,
which means Dexter has to try harder,
but he knows what's going on.
Watching Dexter's determination and endless effort,
receiving one of his smiles or kisses
and having his hands find you, and his fingers hold you
makes your heart burst with love.
And so, when someone pities Dexter...
it's as though they pity us for having Dexter...
They pity Dexter for his life...
or lack of it, I suppose.
How little they understand!
We have Dexter!
We have a gutsy, cheeky, loving little boy!
We have so much love!
They can keep their pity!
Kids will be curious... they will ask questions,
it just hurts sometimes,
when kids ask questions and act with pity
and the adults laugh it off,
because they think the truth is too hard.
They're uncomfortable and don't know what to say.
Maybe they're embarrassed.
The truth is, Dexter suffered damage to his brain
when he was very small...
and most things are much harder for him.
Tell the kids that, if it helps.
The truth is, Dexter has cerebral palsy.
The truth is, I have never met a braver, tougher kid!
Raising awareness of cerebral palsy
**We don't want to upset anyone.
We're not talking about anyone in particular.
We're just sharing stories of our life with cerebral palsy.
Sometimes, its very hard!
Tiring. Draining. Frustrating. Unfair.
We're sharing our life with Dexter, an amazing little boy.
See Dexter - not the CP.
My sister Knows (I have cerebral palsy)
The Good Pain (Therapy and exercise)
My cerebral palsy OT gear
My Staring Sign
My Staring Shirts
Cerebral Palsy - Blah!
CP Doesn't Stop Me Understanding 'Stuff'
My CP and Feeding
CP Awareness Day - 2013
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