She's Worthy of a Dream Come True

Some dreams seem so real they scare us. Others take us into fantasy worlds we know could never exist. This dream I now share leaves me hoping that dreams can come true.

In my dream I had fallen asleep in a reclining chair. I was awakened from a fitful slumber by a presence at the foot of my chair. I would later learn I was still dreaming, a dream within a dream if you will. The chair’s leg rest suddenly jerked under my feet. I opened my eyes to find my precious daughter standing there proudly seeking acknowledgment. She was smiling and giggling while yanking back and forth on the chair. Her head was swaying to and fro as she struggled to apply her weight to her efforts.

I jumped from the chair and snatched her up into my arms pulling her close to my chest. I was overcome with the purest sensation of joy. Tears freely formed, and I felt my pride swelling. She snuggled into my chest, and I hugged her close as we laughed and cried together. Glancing across the room I could see the open door to her room and beyond that her bed with the blankets dragged off onto the floor. Enjoying the closeness and the mutual excitement, I carried her back to her room. Scooping up the blankets I lowered her into the bed where she immediately began thrashing her body from side to side. I knelt down and placed my hands on her again, ready to whisper, “Its okay, Cami; you need to go back to sleep now.” This time, however, my hands found her night clothes to be soaked with perspiration, as were the sheets under her body.

The unexpected sensation must have caused me to awaken, (this time for real) because I suddenly found myself sitting upright in my own bed. The very first thing I felt was anger. I was mad about ending the dream I didn’t want to leave. I felt foolish falling for the false images. I was mad at God for the fact I had to resort to dreaming for the experience of something so simple as playing with one’s daughter. I was sad that the dream might never come true. For you see, our daughter has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and is legally blind. The sum of her disabilities make any hope of ever seeing my dream come true quite remote.

The next morning I found peace with God and “the dream.” I enjoy it now for the pleasure it brought if only for the shortest time. The only thing I want to take from the dream is the purest sense of joy and happiness I think one could ever experience. The emotions I felt came from another plane, a different level of awareness. Maybe the source was God. I’d like to think so. It felt more intense than the most powerful of drugs. It gave me a feeling I don’t think I’ll ever duplicate, not in this world anyway.

The dream gives me hope. Hope for answers and medical advances. Hope for a miracle, from Jesus, in answer to prayers made for healing. The child is worthy of a better chance. Born to a minor and adopted at birth she has all the love and the best medical treatment anyone could offer. She travels regularly to specialists in two different distant cities. She puts up with two or three different medications three times a day. She wears special braces on her legs and one arm to stabilize and stretch her limbs. She stands and sits only with the assistance of apparatuses complete with lots of belts and buckles. She endures twice daily sessions of stretching and exercising, along with up to four visits each week to therapists for physical, occupational, and speech workouts.

She works hard, along with her mother, to attain even the smallest of gains. Her rigid body, plagued by continuous spasms, and brain void of coordination between the left and right halves, make mobility near impossible. Her abilities to sit up unassisted or to grasp objects with her one “good” arm have been milestones to date. Anyone can see all the pain and frustration our little angel endures each day as she battles her own body. She fights through muscles racked in spastic contractions, she focuses hard to overcome a brain without the ability to control balance and coordinate movements. She squints through the one eye capable of limited sight from a narrow range of something akin to tunnel vision. She awakens in the middle of the night, most likely from the muscular cramps. While awake she thrashes her limbs and body while singing happy songs of gibberish. Yet, throughout it all, each day she remains a bundle of sunshine. The girl refuses to quit. She finds creative ways to do things others take for granted. She likes playing with a baby doll, using her one good arm, the “club” arm, and her mouth or chin to wrap it up or give it a bottle. She takes great pride in her independence, however small it might be. Count on one thing from this little girl. She seldom gives up her positive spirit and cheery expressions of love.

She shares her sunshine with everyone she meets, forever displaying her endless smile to friends and strangers alike. I’ve heard people say “Dreams can come true” and “If you want it badly enough, anything is possible”. If dreams could be judged and granted on some scale of worthiness, I know I’ll see this one come true. Believing a major advance like I witnessed in “the dream”could be possible will keep our faith and hope alive. Can you imagine? A beautiful little girl with the ability to walk over and wake up her daddy. If anyone reading this knows how to control dreams so one can relive them, please let me know. I have one I’d like to repeat, over and over again.