My love for Lucas began from the moment he was conceived.
I remember how happy I was when his parents, our dearest
friends, called to announce the good news! Only years
later would I realize just how much he has impacted
me by his love!
I saw Lucas
for the first time when he was only a couple days
old. This is after I received an urgent phone call
from his mother, Nikki, informing me that Lucas was
born 10 weeks prematurely. Without any hesitations,
my children and I drove to Grand Forks to give them
some support and to see with my own eyes this true
miracle that God had created not knowing if this would
be the first and last time I would see him.
Lucas had
many trials to go through, especially his first few
years, and I was thankful that John and Nikki both
had their families close by. I don’t recall
the day, the month, or even the year but I do recall
the diagnosis – Lucas has cerebral palsy. Even
though I didn’t jump in the car once again to
embrace them with loving arms and encouragement, my
prayers were with them at that moment as no one could
predict what his physical or mental challenges would
be. Only God would know all this, as Lucas was still
so young.
When Lucas
was only three years old, God gave my family a great
gift – They were moving here and would live
near us. Since then I have learned so much from him.
Although he is labeled as a child with special needs,
I feel like we are the people who are in need of these
special children. He may be handicapped physically
and uses a wheelchair, but how many of us are handicapped
by our own selfishness and cold hearts by our lack
of compassion and love for life?
Lucas has
been blessed with many gifts and graces but even more
so, he is a blessing to all who know him. He is filled
with a faith and love for God beyond belief. Already
he has heard the call to the vocation of the priesthood
at his tender age of 10. He possesses more courage
than anyone I have encountered and is not afraid to
profess his faith and the truth to anyone. He is incredibly
compassionate of others, probably because he has had
many surgeries, and doesn’t like to see others
suffer. He has more patience than I could ever imagine
having, and is one of the most appreciative persons
I have ever met. He constantly thanks the people who
help him and will take every opportunity to visit
with anyone. He genuinely loves people and will be
sure to let you know how much he really does. How
wonderful the world would be if we all could have
virtues like this. Yes, on some occasions I have seen
him feel sad about his disability but it is rare.
He is very accepting of God’s will for him and
knows that his prayers are powerful and his suffering
redemptive. I know that he and his parents have a
heavy cross, but God always brings people that will
help carry it. I thank God and his parents for giving
him life and allowing me to open my eyes wide open
and see clearly the difference he has made. It is
truly people like Lucas who help us on our journey.
Each human being deserves the dignity and respect
regardless of our capabilities. My own children remind
me that Lucas is just like them and not to treat him
differently. I reply “Yes, he is special just
as each one of you are because we are all children
of God.”
The support, information and encouragement provided by the PPFL parents is not meant to take the place of medical advice by a medical professional. Any specific questions about care should be directed to a health care professional familiar with the situation.
