Embracing Adventure

Liz is a 16 year old girl with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and scoliosis. She was left on the floor of a hospital in Armenia, wrapped in a blanket. One of the doctors called the local catholic sisters and asked if they wanted to come take the child. Arriving, they opened the blanket and saw that her body was twisted into a C position. Her spine was knarled and curved very low like a trunk on a tree. Her legs jutted out in a fixed position toward each side of her body, her feet were clubbed and her arms did not bend. Wrapping her in the blanket they brought her home and raised her among other children with disabilities. She was given much love but her medical procedures were endless, including numerous attempts to  rotate limbs and fuse bones in the right position. At age 10, she was adopted by her new family in Columbus, Ohio where she joined 7 other siblings, including a brother who had the same condition. Using specialists at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio as well as Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, Liz has been able to have portions of her spine removed and rods placed  to fuse her back straight. During these surgeries, the lining around her spinal chord was nicked and multiple bacterial infections started. Liz spent much time at home on IV medicine and her parents and siblings became her day and night nurses. Through it all, Liz laughed, sang, and fought hard to get better. The focus on medical procedures became the everyday and the whole family suffered.

A Kid Again rescued our family from a feeling of inability to provide fun and to step outside our suffering. Even when we  were not feeling joyful, the volunteers at A Kid Again, wrapped us in their love and support and dragged us on roller coasters, to baseball games, Buckeye football games and water parks…they even provide meals!

A Kid again gives our family the ability to step away from the everyday worry, medicine, procedures, and surgeries. We take a breath and embrace the joy of just being together as a family. Our kids look forward to A Kid Again envelopes in the mail announcing the next adventure as dearly as they do a birthday card arriving. We are forever grateful and honored to be part of the A Kid Again family.