Michaela

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to be in the presence of 35 miracles! 35 individuals who were born with Holoprosencephaly. Each of these 35 had only a 3% chance of surviving to birth, and each has defied all odds and predictions by the medical community. I loved it when one of these miracles would reach out to me. Some would reach out with their hands and arms, others would reach out with their voices, and others had only the ability to reach out with their eyes. But, they all touched me! They touched a place deep within my heart, and that is where I get my strength and courage to continue on.

One in particular touched me deeply. 14 year-old Michaela didn’t speak, but she communicated her love. As she came to realize that our time together was coming to an end, Michaela began to cry. Not the type of crying that a small child does when he isn’t ready to leave the playground—instead, these were the tears of sadness. The tears of a young woman who understands that she will be leaving people who love her for who she is, and people she may never see again. Her tears were no different than my tears, as we both had the realization that we had experienced something special that we didn’t want to end. As I held her hand and stroked her hair, I savored the moment as I knew that I had been touched by a miracle.