About Bridget
About Cerebral Palsy
About Team SMILE
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About Bridget Beresford
Bridget was born 5 weeks premature at UCLA Medical Center, immediately in need of
surgery for a bowel obstruction. We knew this before she was born, so though we
were anxious and nervous about her going directly into surgery, we had no idea of
what we would learn before we left this hospital. She spent 3 weeks in the NICU,
following her successful 3 hour operation. Doctors also discovered an injury in
her posterior cerebral hemisphere. During those 3 weeks, as we were trying to
bond with our tiny baby who was hooked up to many different tubes, trying to get
to know her and help her recover, we were told that Bridget may have significant
developmental delays, that she may never walk, that she may have seizures, that
there would very likely be problems of some kind or another but it was hard to
predict. We took the information, not without a lot of tears, put it as far back
in our minds as we could and chose to live our lives, one day at a time and raise
her with every hope that she would reach her own limitless potential, whatever that
would be. We already were madly in love with her, what else could we ask for?
As Bridget developed, we could tell that she was a bit delayed but she still seemed to reach milestones, just on her own time and in her own way.
At 9 months of age, after learning that Bridget had Cerebral Palsy (CP), we started
a therapy program at California Children's Services (CCS), 2 to 3 times a week, consisting of physical and occupational
therapy. During this time, Bridget learned to sit, crawl at 15 months, and walk
with orthotics and a push toy at 3 years. By 3½ years she walked on her own,
with a limp, a lot of wobbling and plenty of tumbles, but she walked! All this
while, our family was gradually coming to terms with having a child with a disability.
Despite the fact that she was doing great, reaching milestones, making friends,
starting preschool, there are always challenges that come with having a child
that is "different."
People stare, other
kids always go faster,
fear she would fall
or get knocked over
and hurt, or worse
yet, would she someday
just stop making
progress? But again,
we pushed these thoughts
to the back of our
minds and enjoyed
this life we have
with her, proud of
all she was accomplishing,
proud of who she
was becoming.
 One of the many things we have learned and continue to learn from Bridget
is that she doesn't see herself as different. She understands that she is but she doesn't feel
like she is. She knows people are going to ask her why she
walks funny, but she doesn't see herself as walking funny. She knows she can't keep up with her
friends on the playground, but she goes out every day and
tries to keep up. This inner strength she carries has been pivotal to her success and happiness,
and to ours as well. If she's ok with who she is, then
we have to be ok with who she is. And not only are we ok with it, we are honored and proud
to be her parents, and to see what a beautiful young lady she
is becoming.
Bridget is in the
6th grade now and
in addition to horseback
riding and
swimming, participates
in Girl Scouts, strength
training,
and charitable work.
She has had a bit
of a setback this
year as she was diagnosed
with epilepsy in
February. She has
been through a slew
of doctor appointments
including MRI's, EEG's,
2nd opinions, 3rd
opinions, etc., not
to mention trial and
error of a multitude
of medications. We
have spent many hours
on the internet, trying
to understand this
cruel disease that
has robbed our daughter
of her growing independence
and torn our world
upside down, trying
to figure out how
we can make it go
away. The horrible
truth is that we can't
make it go away, that
we can only do our
best to manage it,
to understand it,
and most importantly,
to help Bridget learn
to live with it. We
remain hopeful that
she will outgrow
her epilepsy, that
at least it will be
kept under control,
but that no matter
what, she is deeply
loved and that it
absolutely does not
change who she is.
No doubt this is all
a daily challenge,
but we are coming
to terms with it and
trying to find the
blessing in it, which
so far we see as that
if Bridget or any
of us can possibly
help someone else
affected with epilepsy,
then we are doing
some good. If we can
face the epilepsy
and not deny it or
pretend it doesn't
exist, we can
teach Bridget to do
the same. And she,
in turn, can teach
others as she grows
up and lives on her
own one day. She can
be proud of who she
is and who she has
become.
We have been fortunate to become involved with United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County
this year through our friendship with Bonner Paddock. You can learn more about Bonner when
you read about Team S.M.I.L.E. and how it came to be. We are tremendously excited about the
future of UCP-OC and the Early Childcare and Education Center. It will be a wonderful and
much-needed addition to Orange County, for children with all disabilities, to have a place
to go to receive a multitude of services and programs. To learn more about UCP-OC, go to
www.ucp-oc.org. |
