Shriners Speech

I was invited to share our story with the Shriners in New Bern on Friday night. Boy was I nervous to get up and speak in front of about 400 people! Here was my speech:

Shriners Speech

I’ll never forget July 4^th, 2010.  That’s the day I met our youngest child, our daughter, Laura Faith.   Laura had short brown hair and great big brown eyes.  I looked into those eyes, eyes I now call the color of pumperknickle bread.  There was no way I could leave this child, no, she was the one!  This girl needed us! Laura was 3 ½ years old and had been waiting in the orphanage for her Dad and I to come find her, adopt her and bring her home.   She’d been waiting all her life for us.  I couldn’t wait to bring home this special little girl.  Couldn’t wait to love her and give her a normal life.  Her Dad and I wanted to give her the love of a family and something else that many of us take for granted, the ability to walk.  Actually, not only walk, but run and skip and jump and dance!

July 2010

Immediately after bringing Laura home, we contacted Shriners in Phillidelphia, PA.  We knew Shriners were the best!  Shriners accepted Laura’s complicated medical condition.  Just 2 ½ months after arriving home with Laura, we got a phone call saying there was a cancellation for surgery the very next day and did we want to take it.  You bet we did!  Less than 24 hours later Laura was having a tibial ostonomy and a symes amputation of her deformed right leg and foot.

Jan 8, 2011
Two days after surgery, our Princessa was trying to smile as we left Shriners Hospital.

Fast forward 9 months from the day we met.  Fast forward to April 4^th. I’ll never forget April 4^th, 2011.  That’s the day Laura tried on her first prosthetic leg.  “I'm AMAZING” she sang, at the top of her lungs, as she walked for her very first time!

Trying on her leg the morning of April 4th

Later that day...

April 4, 2011

Here we are now, another 9 months later, one outgrown leg later, here we are on leg #2 and facing one last surgery.  In April, Laura will have knee fusion surgery in Greenville, SC.  This surgery will enable Laura to have her knees line up. Her prosthetic knee and her left knee will one day line up and she’ll be able to walk even better.  Not only will she walk but she’ll run and jump and dance.  She’ll dance for joy, not only because she has a normal life, with a family to love her, but she’ll dance because the Shriners made all the difference.  The Shriners gave her the surgery and transportation to the surgery so that she could have a normal life.

Ben and Peggy
Two of our wonderful Roadrunners!

I say thank you Shriners, thank you Roadrunners, thank you, to each one here, who helped make a difference in the life of our little pumperknickel bread, brown eyed girl.

April 4, 2010
Leg #1

Sept 7, 2011
Leg #2

 The speech went well. Laura even got a standing ovation durring the part where I talked about her walking for the first time. : ) Wish I could have shown them the video above.

Laura dancing w/ Crystal after our speech