Never say Never

In April 2010 I met a tiny little boy in Serbia. His name was Sasha and he was just a toddler, not yet two years old.  But Sasha was different than all the other kids in the the institution. Sasha is a congenital quad amputee, meaning he was born without arms or legs.

 Little Sasha had an amazing spirit that carried him through the months he had spent in the institution.  Although he was living in an environment lacking in stimulation, he did his best to play with the few things provided to him. I knew at that time that Sasha's family was on their way for him. Just a couple more months and they would be holding him in their arms.  Never again would he spend his days laying in a crib, calling out to caregivers who only answered when they had a spare moment.

Soon, in June 2010, HIS day arrived! It was finally HIS turn. Devon and Jeremy Toomey answered the call to bring their little man home. They named him Bowen.

When they arrived home in the US, they sought out services from Shriners and local physical and occupational therapists. Along the way one therapist did an assessment and proclaimed that Bowen would never be able to sit up on his own, much less get around any way other than rolling on the floor. But the Toomeys knew better. They knew they should never try to limit their child.

Just a few months later Bowen sat up on his own.

Bowen struggled his way through lots of skills: Learning to crawl, to play with toys, to feed himself, to chew his food and accept food with different textures. But, have I mentioned that Bowen is an amazing kid? Bowen conquered all those things. Every.single.one.of.them.

Next came swimming, 

And using his helper legs

(the feet are backward to give him better balance)

Using the iPad when he visited our house.

Keeping up with his brothers is important to him. He wants to do everything they do, and he does!

Bowen is a big guy of six years old now! You name it, he is learning or has learned to do all the things little boys his age do. Nothing stops him. Even when things are hard he is determined to succeed, or at least give it a good try!

Bowen is in school now. Check out his latest skill: writing. I know many of my kids could not write this well at 6 years old!

To the therapists, the doctors, the "specialists" who see kids like Bowen all the time, and to parents who  are considering adopting a child with special needs, please…if you listen to nothing else…listen to this one thing:

NEVER listen to "NEVER".