From the Cradle to the Seventh Grade

By Chad A. Wright

Some of us are lucky enough to be born into this world and catch all the breaks. Then there are those of us who dont catch very many, or any at all. Here is the story of a young man who barely made it into the worldwho got a rough deal right out of the gate.

From the time he was born there always seemed to be some setback or health issue facing him. With each issue, each hurdle, he found the courage within himself to face every obstacle that came his way. There were many times during his life that things looked pretty bleak. Whether it was the surgeries he had to endure or being a little bit behind and underdeveloped compared to other kids his age, he still managed to persevere and grow up to be the bright young man that he is today. He is now in the seventh grade and on the verge of becoming a teenager. He loves movies, swimming, baseball, and playing video gamesjust the same as any other kid his age.

This is the story of my son Thomas. A story of how a boy found the courage and strength within himself and along the way taught his parents about finding that same strength to overcome great odds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Nov 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480813052

Chad A. Wright

Chad A. Wright is a registered nurse who has worked in the medical field for twenty years. He is a native of southwest Missouri, where he currently resides with his family.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 Chad A. Wright.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

1-(888)-242-5904

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-1304-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-1305-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014919488

Archway Publishing rev. date: 10/30/2014

Contents

Let Me Take You On A Trip

The Day My Game Plan Changed

I’ve Got Some Bad News And Then Some Good News

The Rigors Of Being New Parents

They Say That The Eyes Are The Windows To The Soul

Those First Steps Into The Big Wild World

Part I

Part II

A Ray Of Hope

Sir, We Cannot Warp To Light Speed Just Yet. The Neurons In The Main Computer Are Misfiring.

Little League Had Come To An End

Now Here We Are In The Big Leagues, And It’s My Turn At Bat. Now We’re Moving On Up

Dad, It’s Okay, You Can Loosen Your Grip On That Leash A Little.

I Don’t Call You Son Because You Shine, I Call You Son Because You’re Mine.

Hold Up A Minute, The Journey’s Not Over Yet.

Just To Let You Know, We Found Out That We’re Having A Baby Girl.

Acknowledgements

01jpg.jpg

To my son, Thomas—

this is for you. You inspire me every day to want to be a better person and parent. If I don’t accomplish anything else, being the best daddy to you that I can be is the one thing that I hope I do. Love you, Bubby.

02jpg.jpg

LET ME TAKE YOU ON A TRIP

I t has been quite the adventure over the last twelve years, since that first day when I became a parent. It’s also felt like quite the obstacle course at times during my son’s time on this earth so far, and I want to share his story. Over the last couple of years, I started writing down some of the things he has said and done that will hopefully shed some light on the type of kid that he has grown up to be after enduring and facing down some of those obstacles.

It is my hope that you’ll read something that will hopefully bring a smile to your face and maybe even possibly warm your heart. I once heard that life as we know it isn’t merely a destination— it’s a journey.

The day that I became a parent is a day that I will forever hold near and dear to my heart. The road wasn’t always smooth, and every day wasn’t exactly all roses, but having my son in my life is a gift that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I’ve given you the idea of what lies in store within the pages ahead, but first I’m going to ask that you take a little trip with me back to that first day when this whole adventure began. Now if you’ll just follow me, we are going to go back to August 22, 2001.

03jpg.jpg

THE DAY MY GAME PLAN CHANGED

"O k, everyone get ready, because we’re moving her to the OR." Those were the words that I heard my wife’s obstetrician say as nurses and techs started scrambling to move her bed, IV poles, and monitors out of the delivery room. I stood there not knowing exactly what was going on or what suddenly prompted all of this when a nurse came up to me and told me as calmly as she could that I should stay where I was, and that someone would be back momentarily to come and get me so they could take me down to the OR as well. Within a matter of two or three minutes they had the room cleared out and I was alone—alone in the room where we had been admitted about sixteen hours earlier for my wife’s labor to be induced. I stood there thinking about a hundred different things, but there was one single thought that kept going through my mind: I hope that that wasn’t a goodbye just now. Everything had happened so fast that a little voice told me that whatever was going on wasn’t good.

By the time I finally did get down to the OR, they had my wife on a gurney, draped, and they were working on getting our newborn son delivered via C-section. I got scrubbed up and made it to my wife’s bedside. I looked down at her face, which was as white as a sheet, and my heart began to sink. It seemed as though it took every bit of