A Word About Mimi

Mimi is the ‘older’ of my two year-old twins (by 1 minute). She is sweet. She is shy. She has a gorgeous, big smile. She loves her dolls. She adores all three of her sisters. She is the bravest person I know.

Mimi has Cerebral Palsy. She had a stroke at birth.

Mimi goes to physical therapy three times a week and visits pediatric neurologists and developmental experts frequently. This is a drag. It makes her crawl into a tiny little shell inside of herself. She never smiles when we are at the Kinder Spital (children’s hospital). She grabs onto my neck and holds tight.

But Mimi’s CP is mild, I think. No one has ever told me that, though. She can walk and is so bright and is slowly beginning to use her right hand. I know that she will be fine.

The hardest part about CP, for Mimi is that it leaves her completely off balance. She falls a lot. Just now she was reaching for a tambourine and she fell, hard. I picked her up and we sat on the floor together while she cried and I kissed her all over her face.

It was then that it really hit me-- how brave Mimi is! She falls down many, many times a day, she can not keep up with her twin or other children. But she never stops trying.

I can tell sometimes, by the look on her face, that she realizes the difference between herself and her twin, that she is embarrassed when she falls. But she still gets up and tries again.

I love Mimi’s smile, her sweetness, her generous heart. But it is Mimi’s bravery that I love the most.