It's been a long time since she's played any sports or done dancing. Probably 5 years. After that, it started to matter if you were any good. Emily isn't. She's not terribly coordinated & can't use her left hand much. Emily doesn't need a wheelchair & only needed a walker when she was learning how to walk. She didn't take her first steps until she was 18 months old & was really just getting good by the age of 2. Emily has a condition known as schizencephaly. Basically, she's got some fluid in pockets in her brain where actual brain tissue should be. We found this when she was 7 months old. The doctors said it should have shown up on an ultrasound in utero. They don't know how she was functioning as well as she was. It's a miracle she's not bed-ridden.
I give that little background to say that while she's not in a wheelchair, she's not able-bodied, either. She isn't really able to participate in sports anymore and gets dragged to all the sporting events her brothers are involved in. She mostly willing & uncomplaining, too. Her favorite thing is the junior cheer camp, but she's left in the dust there, too. I don't want her to live her life thinking she has to stay on the sidelines! I want her to be involved, feel part of a team, fell included & not just tolerated. I worry that kids at school ignore her or dismiss her, because she can't do everything they can do. It breaks my heart!!
I went into the Wheel Times event with an open mind. I was aware that Emily isn't a fan of new situations & might balk at being thrust into a wheelchair with a stranger pushing her. She did a bit at first.
Before the game started, we got to listen to Jeremy Campbell speak. He's won 2 gold medals in the Paralympics & was raised in the Texas panhandle. I think he inspired the kids. I know he inspired me. We're not all Olympic athletes but we're all special & unique in our own way. I certainly was never going to be an athlete, much less an Olympic-caliber one. I did get to experience being part of a team when I was in the band. (We'll just ignore the year I played softball & the couple of years of soccer with my mom as coach.)
It didn't take Emily long to get into the game. After it got going, she just smiled the entire time. Here is one of my favorite pics from the event. Jeremy Campbell ended up coming in to play on Emily's team, since they were getting creamed. Here he is right beside her, as she's getting ready to pass him the ball.
Emily even got to score a goal for her team!! Do you see the look on her face as the crowd is cheering?? That look made the anticipation & concern over whether she would have fun worth it. She was so excited! She even got a high five from her teammates!
There were kids there with varying degrees of impairment, from Emily who almost looks fine, to kids who are permanently confined to a chair. They all had a blast & got to participate in a game with their peers & volunteers, mostly high school kids who want to help. Genesis 1:27 says that we are all made in God's image. To Him, we are all perfect. To us, they should all look perfect, too.
As the game was coming to a close, Jackson looked at me & said he wanted to participate next time. I don't think he'd care how, but I have a feeling he wants to ride in a wheelchair.
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