FAMILY SALUTE !!!
Pictures were unavailable, but I must say, I don't need a picture to see that the family we are saluting for November is nothing short of remarkable.
I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Howard and Barbara Kelly's family back in early October, when they responded to my first article titled "When It Hits Close to Home." What impressed me, and can be used as a model for other families, is their positive, unselfish attitude and outlook, even at times of adversity.
Howard and Barbara Kelly now residing in Rising Sun, Maryland, and were married in 1984. During the three years following their marriage they were blessed by the arrival of two perfectly healthy children, Evan in 1985 and Jamie in 1987.
Unfortunately, nearly seven years later in 1994, they were about to find out the heartbreak of having a child with a disability, and this is when their story of inspiration begins ... .
Jamie, their youngest, began limping and complaining about pain in his knee, with no exact location of the pain. This happened during a camping trip, and, like most parents, their first assumption was to ask him if he had injured himself hiking, and he claimed he had not fallen or hurt himself in anyway.
Acting as any concerned and wise mother would, Barbara began researching his symptoms. Convinced they were looking at something more serious than an injury, Barbara took Jamie to their doctor, who was able to complete testing and diagnose Legg-Perthes disease, a disorder that causes the ball of the hip to disintegrate and regrow, with a duration of 3 to 4 years for the whole process.
For 3 years, they endured the agony of watching their youngest child go through 2 sets of double leg casts for 2 months each time, having to learn to walk over again, and hip surgery with a body cast for 2 months. Not to mention the painful exercises she had to put him through 4 to 5 times a day at 45 minutes each session. Not to mention, physical therapy, at their cost.
Through all this they chose to focus on the positive, and one example was telling me that the exercises caused "good pain" instead of "bad pain." Can you believe it! Some of us belly- ache if we have to walk to the store when the car won't work !
The one message Barbara really sent in her story was the importance of getting out and making life go on as normal as possible for the whole family, including the child with the disability. She didn't want Jamie to think he had an excuse for not doing things and become lazy, and she didn't want Evan to miss out on things and possibly become resentful. She herself, did not want to stay at home everyday, and possibly become lazy and withdrawn.
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