I met “Q” when he enrolled at Operation Smart Start in the winter of 2009 when he was about 9 months old. Other than being in foster care our center did not know much about his life. He was an extremely adorable little guy and had a lot of love to give. As time went on we started to learn his story…
Q’s biological mother had made some not so good decisions during her pregnancy. She received no prenatal care and it is believed she often decided to partake in alcohol and/or illegal substances. Her lifestyle was a little crazy and she just did not know how to put another life before her own. Q was born in February of a leap year. We aren’t quite sure whether he had adequate pediatric care immediately after birth. I believe the luck of the leap year was on his side though because on one horrific night everything changed…
Q’s biological mother decided to take the life of another person at gun point with her child in her arms. For obvious reasons the courts removed the child from her custody immediately. When this happened he was placed with an angel through foster care. Her name is K and I can happily tell you that now 4 years later K is Q’s very proud mother.
There are struggles to overcome. Q has impaired hearing, eye sight, and at the current time it is believed that he lacks the ability to smell and taste. To add more to the mountain top he is also diagnosed PDD/NOS. Besides having severe dietary and sensory issues Q struggles to verbally communicate. Despite all of these factors he is a very happy and energetic little boy. Although Q can’t always communicate with us you just know he is trying to find the best in every situation.
Every day he comes to school with a team of people. Now, when I say team I mean like the amount of people you see with a famous movie star on the red carpet. He has OT, Speech, TSS, a Mentor, and Behavioral Therapy Services (just to name a few because yes…there are a whole lot more). All of his team members have partnered with the teachers here at Operation Smart Start and we have become this unified army front to provide any and all services available so that he may succeed in all aspects of life.
It has been amazing to see the progress he has made over the last few years. Now at 4 years of age he can read, write, count to probably about a million, recognize all letters and numbers, and spell just about anything. He knows every word to the Eagles fight song and can lead a group in a series of yoga and meditation positions. He is loved. He gives love. He is happy. He has made some huge successes in the 4 years he has been with us and I just know that when he’s old enough…we’ll be hearing about Q and the genius things he’s done.
I am supposed to be telling you how this child has touched my heart. If the above alone hasn’t touched your heart in some way allow me to continue on for a little longer. Words alone could never explain to you how this child has impacted not only my life but the life of every person around him. He is the true definition of hope, strength, and courage for what he fights through on a daily basis. On my worst day or when I feel like throwing that “pity party” for myself I stop and remind myself of Q. In my 28 years on this earth I have not had to encounter nearly half the struggles this 4 year old boy has… yet everyday he smiles. If everyone could take a lead from Q the world would truly be a happier place. He has shown me that nothing is impossible with a little elbow grease and some love. He also reminds us all on a daily basis that “life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but rather by the moments that simply take your breath away.”
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