CHRISTIAN

All my brothers know I have a favorite..."Cause he's their favorite too! Anyone who knows Christian, knows why. I have many old neighbors and friends who ask how he is, and remember the undeniable light that shines through his eyes. My mom says that our friends, neighbors and babysitters we definitely angels from heaven.  Christian just celebrated his 28th Birthday in March.

I still remember my dad sitting with my older brother and me in our living room, I was 6 at the time. They explained to us that our little brother was very special. That he had been born paralyzed from the chest down. That meant he could not feel his legs and he would never be able to walk. I don't remember what else was really said, but my mother and father do. They said that Carson who was 8 yrs. at the time said, "That's ok. I will just put him in the wagon and pull him where he needs to go"

And that's just what we did. He was such a cute little baby. With dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. He spent the first few months of his life in the hospital. (*Laura, I think it was your father-in-law who delivered him.) He was then sent to Primary Children's Hospital. The Dr's didn't think he would make it through the first night. Then probably not the first week, or a month, or two. And then even if he did, he would never sit up, never talk, never do anything really.

He was born with Spina Bifida. This is a neuro tube defect where it results in an incomplete formation of the spinal cord and also results in the vertebrae in the back not fully formed over the spinal cord. It usually leaves that part of the back open. In simple cases, it could be only an inch on the back, and you'd never know someone had it. But in Christian's case, his back was open from the shoulder blades down to his lower back. He also ended up with part of the highway between the two lobes of his brain missing.  And only one kidney.  When he came home from the hospital after he was born, his back bone looked like a football cut in half and placed under his skin.He came home from one of his first back surgeries with shiny little white buttons down his back. At least 6 or 7. Real buttons! They had straightened his back and sewn it back together.

Anyway, this little guy was a fighter. How could he not be with all the love his parents and 4 older siblings smothered him with. And yet he has been the light of our life's since day one. He first learned to smile, then to laugh, then to sit, then to scoot, then to play jokes, then to speak...to write his name...to read...

Now that I am a mother, I recognize the unconditional love that we have for our own children. I can see why my mother has always said Christian has never been her biggest trial. My mother and father had 5 children under the age of 8 with the youngest two only 11 months apart. Yes, Shawn was only 11 months when she had Christian, and my father was serving in the bishopric. All of this and they were only 28 and 29 years old. And still my mother says of those years "although it has been difficult and one of the greatest physical challenges, "Having Christian has been like waking up to Christmas Everyday.  I just never knew what surprises I was going to get" She says watching him learn and grow and think and play has been a treat and a present to her soul.

I saw this picture today while I went through some photos. I wanted to post it and tell Christian how much I love him. He has been the constant and undeniable spirit from which much of my faith and strength in my Heavenly father and Savior have come from. My eyes have also welled many times as I have watched my brothers, and husband, and parents, teachers and even strangers literally carry the physical mangled weight of this guy's body on their backs in and out of his wheelchair, car, or even up flights of stairs, so that he could participate in life with the circles of people he loves.

My parents knew right away that Christian was the name that would suit him best. And that he truly is.