After reading "Athletes choosing Lions" in the sports section on Monday July 18, I feel a response from a mother who has a child with Cerebral Palsy who receives services through the Shrine Hospital in Minneapolis is warranted.
It is obvious that this week was a very special time for high school all-star athletes. I applaud and am very proud of all of these athletes to be able to excel to their fullest potential within sports and to be selected to play in the ultimate all-star game for football and basketball in North Dakota.
I, however, am placed on the other side of the spectrum. That is, I have an 11-year-old son who dreams, wishes and prays of being able to do what all these athletes can do. Due to his physical challenges his ability to be an "all-star" in the North Dakota Shrine Football Game or the North Dakota Lions Basketball Game is just a dream.
When my son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the medical doctors told my husband and me to prepare our world with having a child that would not be able to walk independently. This was devastating and just the beginning of a roller coaster ride that parents experience with children that are physically challenged. As the months went by we began to experience challenges with our insurance company covering services for our son.
It was at this time, that we were informed about the Shrine organization. The organization offers free medical services for children if found eligible by their medical staff. My son was found eligible for services through the Shrine Hospital in Minneapolis. He has received three surgeries in which his hospital stay varied from one week to seven weeks.
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As the North Dakota Shrine Football Game nears, my son becomes ecstatic. Not only is this a time for the all-stars to have their last hurrah, but it is a time for my son to idolize and dream about being part of them.
This week, my son along with other physically challenged Shrine children, will be allowed to spend time with the selected all-star players, watching them practice, telling them and showing them the way their bodies work and even possibly hearing the physically challenged child's story.
These athletes will also travel to the hospital in Minneapolis, seeing and identifying the challenges that these children face to just be able to sit, walk and/or run. By the end of the week, these all-star players will realize how fortunate they are to have the athletic ability that they have and the success that they have been able to experience.
In return, they will make my child glow for months realizing he was able to spend time with an All-Star. It is also a time for these football players to realize that they assisted these hard working Shrine men with the care of the physically challenged children in North Dakota.
I therefore want to thank all the selected North Dakota Shrine football players for taking time out of their busy summer schedule to spend a week assisting my son with his physical challenges, making him realize that he is an All-Star and for helping the North Dakota Shrine develop monies for "their kids"!
I am hoping in the years to come that not only will this be a time for the athletes to shine during their last high school hurrah but also a time for these athletes to give - to give to a child that is less fortunate than they are!
Venaas-Gilbraith lives in Fargo. E-mail jvgilbraith@nbinternet.com
