Hannah's Christmas Gift: A Story About Your Life And The Choices You Make!

By Bruce Sullivan and Julie Davey

"Where has the year gone? I can't believe it's November already? It will be Christmas before we know it!"

Sound familiar?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 1, 2007
• ISBN: 9781626756762

Book preview

Nin

Who is Hannah?

Hannah arrived just before 11pm. It was a Thursday night in September and what a long day it had been for all of us. We had waited for just on nine months for Hannah to arrive and it felt as though the last 24 hours had taken forever.

Hannah arrived to two very relieved and excited parents. She was beautiful in every sense. Her eyes blinked sleepily as she was placed gently onto Gillian’s breast.

My role included performing the final rite-of-passage into this world with the cutting of the cord. Totally mesmerised by the miracle of birth, I was too overwhelmed and too much in love to realise that something was not as it should be.

Extra equipment and medical staff had arrived. Hannah was changing colour. They removed her and started doing what dedicated professionals do. As naïve first-time parents we watched helplessly and unknowingly as they went about their work.

Hannah was not getting oxygen. The medical staff had performed their first miracle and then left with her to do their next. We waited. We hoped. We were scared too, even though no-one would admit it at the time.

Long brown hair is what I remember most, and then the Irish accent. The Registrar of the hospital had arrived to give us her speech. Critical and unstable heart condition, uncertainty about living and 95 per cent certain that Hannah had Down Syndrome.

They knew we did not know. This was not what we expected at all. Shock … disbelief … confusion. I pretended to know what it all meant. I didn’t. Down Syndrome? Will she live? What do we do? More questions than answers.

Hannah did live. She embraces life every day.

A beautiful daughter, an awesome big sister to Declan, a niece and a cousin, an enthusiastic reader, a champion swimmer, a caring genuine friend, a competent bike rider, a park junkie, playful cricketer, active member of the school choir, a dance-troop delight and gymnast, a diligent student and a permanent inspiration.

Christmas was very special that year. We were parents. Hannah would be introduced to Santa for the first time and we knew then that Santa would forever play a special part in Hannah’s life each Christmas.

As new parents we were keen to teach our children. So far I am sure we have learnt more than we have taught.

The following is a true story.

1 Life

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

Do you just sneak a glance at who you might be?

Will you look long enough to truly know?

Or are you too busy to reflect and grow?

When you woke, were you grateful for living today,

As though this could be it, your very last day?

Have you learnt what’s important, like happiness and health,

Or are you distracted by possessions and wealth?

Does your heart have a place where your eyes just won’t go?

When you look in the mirror it’s so hard to know

If you’ve cheated a friend or worse, even you.

In this once-only life are you honest and true?

People no doubt will have the last say

About how you lived life at work and at play.

It’s your choice – so will there be standing room only?

Did you choose the right road or will you die lonely?

So when