A Realized Hero

The doctor's told my mom that after his seizures, Bill would never walk or talk.

They didn't count on his quiet, strong, and consistent determination.

It's probably a good thing Bill was too young to understand the experts thought he wouldn't grow like normal kids. The power of suggestion is so very strong. Most of the time we are battling our own ability to cope with our self-image and self-concept. We do have the power to affect how others see themselves, but only if we are giving them that power. Therefore, I am most grateful Bill was an infant when my parents received this news. Of course, he is so quietly stubborn, that I highly doubt he would've failed anyway.

It did take awhile. He wasn't crawling until he was two. (I think some of that was because he was either on my hip or my mother's.)

He didn't really talk until he was two. Even then, it was a funny language. But we figured it out:

1) Does (pronounced doughs) was girls. Mom would say, "Bill, go get the girls." He would call, "Does!"

2) Pisten was his word for Maria.

3) Chiyi was his word for Wendy.

4) Mama Doe was his word for me.

5) When he didn't like his food, he'd dump it in his milk. (Okay, that one was pretty easy to figure out.)

6) Every morning he had a fit with crying and all sorts of carrying on. We figured out his socks had to be perfectly straight.

7) When he was ready for a nap, he'd fall to the floor and start pushing his head around on the carpet.

8) His "Dukes of Hazzard" matchbox cars had to be in a perfectly straight line on his window sill.

9) Mom had to carry an extra set of these cars in her purse.

He was the cutest thing ever. He might've learned to speak clearer quicker if it hadn't been for us. We knew what he was trying to say and always translated for him. Therefore, he didn't always have the opportunity to work on it.

But he prevailed. And learned to talk. And learned to walk. And run. And kick a ball -- which would become very important.

After my dad, he is my hero. He overcame major difficulties with silent strength and a calm outlook. I'll always look up to him, my baby brother, Bill.