Introducing The Favourite Foster Child
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Kristal - "favourite foster child"
How adorable was this wee Kristal? Not too mention how gorgeous I am with that perm! Looking back now I remember just how nervous I was bringing her to live with us. I know all parents have sleepless nights and a sense of anxiety with a new baby and we were no different. We felt such a responsibility for this child who wasn't ours. Kristal was a lot like a 5 month old baby when she came to us - she had no head control, no trunk control, she didn't ever cry, she ate warm dairy products, and it took her an hour to drink a bottle of milk before she promptly vomited it all and the process started again. When Kristal was two years old a gorgeous friend offered to babysit so we could have a night out and on that night of all nights Kristal started having seizures. And so began our journey with epilepsy. At that time Kristal had a brain scan which revealed she had Lissencephaly Syndrome (affectionately known as Liss) - which basically means she has a smooth brain. Over the years Kristal has added diagnosis like some of us add to our shoe collection! Added to the Liss is Cerebral Palsy, Intractable epilepsy, dysphagia, a sleep disorder...to name a few! But Kristal is not her diagnosis as she has proved over and over again. When she was first diagnosed with Liss we were told her life expectancy would be 2 - 4 years of age - in five months time she will be 29. The gloom report told us that Kristal would probably never feed herself, walk or talk but Kristal proved that wrong. Today Kristal can walk using a K walker or holding someone's hand, she can speak about 25 words and knows exactly when and where to swear, she uses an Ipad with a talking device to communicate, she rides a recumbent trike, ski's using a sit ski, goes stand up paddle boarding by attaching her water wheelchair to a 17ft board, she feeds orally, she has swimming lessons, horse riding weekly, she gives back to her community by baking for various groups and collecting for various causes as well as participating in community fundraiser walks and she does it all with the most wicked sense of humour. Kristal lives in a home she rents and has support staff to help her to live her best life. We are super proud of this favourite child's determination and tenacity, her ability to bounce back, and her unconditional love for everyone she meets.
Kristal and Annie heading off to walk for breast cancer
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