I love my son Koty, like I love all my children, like all mothers love their children. We love them with our heart and souls, our hopes and fears, our sweat and tears. But when you love a child like Koty, there is something more that happens between you. I nurtured him, but he nurtured me too. I taught him, but he taught me more. When he came into my life he was the most beautiful happy baby I had ever seen. When I went to meet him for the first time Bob made me promise I would proceed with caution and not rush into anything. When they brought him to me and I held him, he smiled that million dollar smile and batted his phenomenal eyelashes and it is was all over but the packing. I can’t explain it, except to say that I just felt he was mine.

I had no idea what I was doing, or what it meant to raise a special needs child. I had no concept of the challenges children like him face nor did I understand the depth of his disabilities. I tumbled through the back door of an education on such matters, where Koty lead the way and we tried to keep up. Before long we had a house full of therapy equipment and medical supplies and absolutely no social life! But we enjoyed every minute of it – we had adventures and accomplishments that were so hard earned by his tremendous spirit. Often when out in public people would look at us with Koty and make this face like they feel sorry for you, or he made them sad or something but the truth is he was the most consistently happy child I know. He never missed what he could not do, he adamantly enjoyed what he could do. Whether it was pulling his brothers hair, watching his football games, going for a ride with the radio loud, or listening to the nurses or I sing silly songs for him. Which is not to say that he did not express himself when he was unhappy!! The puberty years began the warning “ Look out for the right hook”.

People like Koty are one of God’s most beautiful creations, they are immune to social constraints, peer pressures, negative influences, protocols, or schedules. Imagine for a second the freedom that would involve. They are just perfectly, innocently human. Being around Koty I learned to laugh louder, be silly again, and celebrate small accomplishments. I am forever grateful that we found each other and I was able to be his Mother, he was not just my child but my career, my best audience, and sometimes my shrink.

The journey that our family has been on for the last decade has changed us forever. We are more laid back then I ever thought imaginable, we are a tight team of homebodies who laugh easily and cry easily. My children are kind hearted, compassionate people who always stand up for the underdog and I know these things and more are Koty’s gifts to us. He was so strong and handsome and funny it is killing me to let him go because I need him more than he needs me.

Koty has many people who love him and whom he loved. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our family and friends who have always helped us and supported our journey. I also want to thank all the wonderful classmates that added so much joy and friendship to Koty’s life, all his teachers and nurses at school that took such good care of him and taught him new exciting things. The nurses that worked in our home and played such a crucial role in Koty’s life as he grew and always treated him like one of their own. We were also very blessed to have the most wonderful Doctors for Koty that worked so hard for his complicated little life. I know God made sure we never did this alone, so Thank You for being a part of Koty’s life, and ours.