On Wednesday of this week, Alex ran a 20 minute mile! Words cannot even begin to express how proud I am of her! Alex's determination is truly an inspiration. She doesn't for one second doubt herself, she just presses on to finish the task at hand. Alex began physical therapy at around 13 months of age. She was barely sitting on her own at that time and I was skeptical of the physical tasks she would be able to complete by herself. Not wanting to offer false hope, her therapists would not assure me that Alex would some day walk on her own. However, once she mastered sitting, she moved on to army crawling and rolling. It was quite comical to watch a 2 year old roll around to get where she wanted to go, but you couldn't help but cheer her on as she went about her merry way. By then she was walking with the assistance of one of those metal walkers with wheels. You know, the ones you see the old people with at Luby's. Alex's was a bit different and she relied on it for quite some time. But on Thanksgiving of 2003, Alex took her first independent steps. It was a miracle. Today she has surpassed what I ever thought possible for her as a baby, she ran a mile! Did I mention she did it in knee-high suede boots too! That's my girl. Running in style!
The picture is of a paper medal that a boy named Devon made for Alex. The teacher gave her a safety pin and she came home wearing it.