Davin Bruce was born on November 12, 1992 in Pottstown, PA.  We were thrilled to add our 4th child to our family and he was a delightful baby.  Davin did a couple of things that caused me to call the doctor and make sure that everything was okay.  The doctor assured me that I had a good baby and to enjoy him.

As time went on, we noticed that Davin seemed to stay curled up in that newborn position and that he did not move his arms.  His arms stayed down and to his sides.  However Davin passed his 2 month check-up and his 4 month check-up with no concerns.  At 5 months of age, I took my concerns about Davin's arms to the pediatrician.  Davin saw another pediatrician in the practice and he assured us that we should watch him for 4 weeks, but that it was nothing neurological because that would start in his legs and his legs appeared to be developing normally. 

I took my baby home and tried waiting, but only made it for about a week before calling Davin's pediatrician and requesting that he look at Davin personally.  When we saw Davin's doctor, he didn't feel it was neurological, but sent us to be evaluated at Easter Seals.  He also mentioned that if Easter Seals offered to have Davin evaluated by a neurologist, that we should take them up on that offer. 

Davin saw his first physical therapist when he was six months old.  He was evaluated and given an appointment to see a neurologist at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. 

On June 11, 1993, Davin saw the neurologist and my mother-in-law and I were told that, "Davin has cerebral palsy.  Any questions?"  It was a shock and I felt like his words crushed my perfect world.  He also gave us a list of tests that needed to be done on Davin in the near future.  There is no test to show that a child has cerebral palsy.  There are only tests to show that he doesn't have something else. 

We drove home after my mother-in-law prayed and gave the situation and Davin to the Lord.  I then had to go home and tell my husband and my other children what the doctor had said.  It was a difficult day.

My husband, Alan, said something the day Davin was diagnosed that will always stay with me.  He asked me if Davin was any different than he was yesterday.  I replied no, but somehow everything felt different.  Alan said that Davin was the same baby that he had been the day before, except they had given this disorder a name.  He was right and that has become our family's approach to raising Davin and our other three children.  Davin is our child.  There are things that are different.  I am not sure that anything is harder or more challenging, than our other kids, just different. 

After Davin was diagnosed, he began receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and eventually education.  Our time with those therapists that helped us through those first couple of years was so sweet.  They provided much more than therapy.  They were an emotional support and a source of knowledge, love, and acceptance for someone who isn't exactly like every other kid. 

Over the years, Davin has made slow gains, but we are thrilled with each new development, no matter how small.  He rolled over for the first time when he was 2 years old and fed himself for the first time this school year.  In between, there have been many other things, like learning to pick something up, being able to hold a crayon in a certain way, and being able to right himself when he leans over in his wheelchair.

I have sat and held Davin while his entire body seized from a seizure disorder that he was diagnosed with at age 2, I have sat in the emergency room with Davin for 15 hours while doctors tried to determine if Davin had appendicitis or not.  (It is very difficult to tell things like this because Davin is non-verbal.)  I have sat in a therapy room in Mielno, Poland as Davin received intensive therapy and prayed for his body to respond.  Were any of these things any harder than the things that I have been through with my other kids?  Probably not.  Just different. 

When I look back on the last ten years, I think of Davin's smile that can light up an entire room.  I think of all of the people that Davin has touched, even without words.  I have been privileged to watch him work at something that is so hard for him.  I have watched my other son, Cheney, carry his brother Davin who is only 21 months younger than him downstairs every morning so they can watch cartoons together for a while.  I have learned that perfect does not always mean what we think it is.  Perfect is being the way that God has made us.  Being Davin's mother has been one of the greatest joys of my life.