It's hard on the person with cerebral palsy. We will never know the amount of pain Dexter feels on a daily basis. We will never understand the sensation of his muscles cramping and we won't know how the spasms in his muscles make him feel.
We will never understand the frustration and loneliness he must feel, because cerebral palsy took away his words. We can't imagine how he must feel when kids run off to play and he physically cannot do that.
we will never understand, but we try to.
We do know how our own pain and sadness feels.
We know how our backs, knees, hips, wrists and legs ache, from the lifting and the carrying.
We know how the loneliness feels and we have our own sense of heartache when we watch Dexter miss out.
We feel the frustration at having to be everything and everyone all at once.
Every. Single. Day.
It's hard on the siblings, in ways we are beginning to understand. The girls will teach us more about this, as they grow and gain the words to explain their emotions. We try to make sure we give them enough time.
Cerebral palsy is hard.
It's cruel.
It's unfair.
So, today, reach out to a family of someone with cerebral palsy.
Compliment them on the things they do.
Smile at them and say something nice. (They might be running late for an appointment or might not have had time to have a coffee, so they might not smile back. They will remember your kindness though, at a calmer moment in the day. And, they will be grateful.)
Help them feel that they are doing a good job. Help them believe they can keep going, because sometimes, cerebral palsy leaves you with many, many doubts.
If you know someone with cerebral palsy, reach out to them.
See how they are going.
Let them see that you care.
Life with cerebral palsy is tough!
If you don't know anyone with cerebral palsy, there are so many incredible families who share the stories of their lives on social media. Search this hashtag #cerebralpalsy and you will find so many amazing people.
We are careful with what we share regarding the girls. We carefully consider what we share regarding Dexter. Some things we keep just for us. Some things, we don't think people will want to hear. And, sometimes, we are too busy to share anything. But, we do share stories of Dexter's life. We share to raise awareness. We share so people might get to know him. We share so people might feel more comfortable about including Dexter, or people like Dexter. We share to help families who are just starting out on their cerebral palsy journey.
We share Dexter in the hope of building him a community.
So, today, reach out and say or do something nice for someone who lives a cerebral palsy life.
Under their toughened exterior, you'll most likely find someone with a huge, generous heart who has incredible strength and resilience. They might not say anything, but they probably have many sad, scared and lonely days.
Reach out and say hi.
#cerebralpalsy
#DextersReality
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Mum was Crying in the Ball Pit
What a Dollar means to Dexter
When Wheelchair Stops Being a Dirty Word
Dexter's First Month
Dexter's Vision
Dexter's Cerebral Palsy
Dexter's Cancer
Who is Dexter?
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