School Years - Success Stories
Gabrielle Silva
I was asked to write a "success story" about my 14 year old daughter Bella, and for quite a while, I couldn't seem to pull my thoughts together. How could I choose one story to share and hope it would capture the true essence of who Bella is and why that particular story was more deserving to be told than any other? It got me thinking that every success throughout her life so far, no matter how small or large, has been equally important.
There are many examples I could offer, but the most important by far, would have to be how through Bella, we learned to tap into the family-to-family support that is so vital to those of us raising children with special needs. As a result, we've met many inspirational families over the years and we've learned to lean on each other, share life experiences, cry on each other's shoulders and cheer each other on.
I've always felt that Bella teaches us more than we can ever hope to teach her, and this characteristic is not unique to her, but shared by all children with special needs.
It's up to us families to help spread that knowledge our children have empowered us with and keep those success stories coming.
