(2/2) “Her history came out slowly once she learned to talk....

(2/2)  “Her history came out slowly once she learned to talk.  She’d been abused in every possible way.  She’d never had a Christmas.  She’d never been to school.  She’d never even slept in a dry bed.  All she’d ever known was deprivation.  But once we got her, we left that all in the past.  We said: ‘This is what we have now.  Let’s start here.’  Her life has been so full since we got her.  It hasn’t been easy.  She was diagnosed with Autism.  She needs lots of attention.  Puberty was tough.  My husband passed away so I had to do it alone.  School was a herculean effort.  Colors, numbers, and shapes were nearly impossible.  And we still can’t tell time or do math.  But she is a master of everything physical.  And we did it all.  She took ten years of dancing lessons.  She played on a travel soccer team.  She’s an amazing artist.  We’re here this week to compete in powerlifting.  Now the one last thing I want for her is to get a job.  To earn a living.  To come home tired from a good day’s work and say: ‘Mom, I can take you for dinner tonight.’  It’s not going to be easy, but that’s how I’d love the story to end.  If I had known twenty years ago how difficult it was going to be, would I have made the decision?  There’s no way of knowing.  And there’s no way of summing up the experience.  Because it’s not an experience.  It’s my child.”  
(Special Olympics World Games, Abu Dhabi, UAE)