Amy Quonce, author
  • A Family No More
  • Praise for A Family No More
  • The first 30 Days in Heaven
  • Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways
  • About The Author
  • Media/Speaking
  • Home
  • Guest book

The Value of Life

9/15/2011

0 Comments

 
Many years ago, my daughter's doctor told me that she would have no quality of life and that I should consider my options.  Instead, I choose to consider a different doctor.  Today my daughter is a vibrant young lady, and while she faces many challenges, she does so with a smile in her face and love in her heart.

It is stories like this that inspire others to keep the faith when times look grim.  Do you have one to share?  Send them to me and they will be compiled together for a proposed anthology, similar to Chicken Soup for the Soul and A Cup of Comfort.  Click on the From Caring To Sharing tab above for more detail. Below is one story that I have written:


                             The Value of Life

      As I sat in the doctor’s office listening to him tell me that my baby
would have no quality of life and that I should consider an abortion, a million
things were running through my head.   Why me?  What did I do wrong?  Will my
life ever be the same?
But never once did it occur to me to follow through
on the well meaning advice of a doctor who didn’t have a clue.  I was going to
have this baby, and I would provide her with the best life possible.

      What that meant I wasn’t really sure of at the time.  Never having had
any contact with a person who had a disability, I was oblivious as to what to
expect or how to even go about getting the care my newborn would require.  So I
simply took it one day at a time, and I allowed her to be my guide.

      The day she entered into this world I looked down into the eyes of my
flawless looking daughter.  I vowed to her that I was
going to try my best, if she would only be patient with me.  And so we ventured
on a journey full of ups and downs.  For every step back we took, my daughter 
found a way to make my heart grow just a little bit larger.  Her loving
disposition and innocent looking face made every trip to the doctors worthwhile.
  She was the sweetest little girl I had ever put my eyes on, but at the age of 5

we still had no concrete name for what we were dealing with. No label, no
statistics, no research that would tell us what to expect for in the future. A
little bit of this and a touch of that never meshed together for a real
diagnosis. So I have decided to call this no name anomaly `Innocent Syndrome`.
For that’s what it truly reflects- a child who was innocent in every aspect of
her life. 
     It was hard as a mother to watch your child struggle so much in life. 
When she entered Kindergarten she will still not talking, and seemed  to only
gravitate towards adults, without even giving her peers a second thought.
Worried about her becoming the scapegoat for cruel childhood teasing, I tried to
overcompensate by making sure she had the finest of clothing and the latest
trends in order to appear as typical as possible.  I didn’t want her viewed as
`different.`  But Elizabeth didn’t care.  She was happy in her own little world.
  Stacking books and sorting cards out seemed like much more fun to her than
going to somebody’s house to play with dolls.  But still I worried.

      As her body grew rapidly, her brain seemed to develop at a much slower
rate.  By the time she reached her teenage years she looked no different than
her classmates on the outside, yet inside there was still this innocent little
girl peeking through.  The countless hours she spent with her books and cards
were much more intense for her, and while now very verbal, she still only wanted
to `chit chat` with the grown ups.  Would I ever be able to get to fit in?

      But as I sat back and observed, she was fitting in… in her own way.  She
had made herself friends within the community without my even realizing it. 
Everywhere we went, Elizabeth would find an adult that she would deem her buddy
and spend countless hours filling them in on her life.  And they would listen. 
Over and over they joked with her over who was sillier, smiled in surprise as
she once again announced how old she was, and graciously accepted hugs whenever
they were offered. The waitresses, cashiers, and receptionists were all her
posse, and she loved it.  She had found her own way to find a place in this
world and it didn’t involve fancy clothes or expensive gadgets.  The only thing
she ever wanted was acceptance, and she found it by being herself.

      My daughter may not have straight A’s, friends over on the weekends, or
even a name for this thing that has changed our lives forever.  But what she
does possess is something greater.  With a carefree attitude an unconditional
love for everything and everyone, she has the quality of life that few others
have. I often think back to that doctor and wonder why he felt that her life was
of no value, when all along she held the key to happiness within her heart.

      And so the girl that I thought I would have to teach everything to has
taught me the one lesson in life that I will treasure forever.  Being yourself
is the best thing of all.

~Amy Quonce
Picture
0 Comments

Book Review: Stolen Innocence by Erin Merryn

8/28/2011

0 Comments

 
I picked this book up last week and within just a few days I found myself finishing the last chapter.  Very emotional and gripping...I could not put it down. 
Picture
Erin Merryn was twleve years old the night that her cousin stole her innocence during a childhood game of hide and go seek.  Afraid to tell, Erin kept the horrible secret from her family. This silence gave power to her abuser to continue for two more years, turning her own life into a nightmare. Suffering from Post TraumaticStress Disorder (PSTD), Erin must find the courage to speak up about the abuse before the nightmares and flashbacks take over her life.

As written through journal entries from a little pink diary, Erin shares her personal pain and struggles while trying to cope with having to see her cousin during family gatherings.  It is not until several years after she breaks her silence is she able to confront him about the abuse, and works towards rebuilding her life that is now focused on helping others.

I give Erin alot of credit for sharing her story. Her courage will empower others to open up and begin their own healing.  Since sexual abuse is more often than not perpretrated by a family member or somebody they know and trust, it is usually kept quiet in order to protect the sanctity of the family unit.  It takes a strong person to stand up for their moral rights and to say that NOBODY, not even a family member, is allowed to treat another person this way. 

Good luck Erin in your future as a social worker and thank you for raising awareness on this sensitive subject!

To help get Erin's Law signed in your state to protect our children, please sign the onlipetition  http://www.change.org/petitions/prevent-child-sexual-abuse-pass-erins-law-at-the-federal-level

0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010

    Categories

    All
    22q11
    911153da651f4
    Adhd
    Aimee Lee
    A.L. Daniels
    Alyshia Hull
    Amazon
    Amy Julie Becker
    Amy Quonce
    Amy Quoncem
    Arise
    A Special Time For Special People
    Autism
    Barbara J Hansen1db767aff4
    Barnes And Noble
    Barnes & Noble
    Battle Of The Books
    Because Of Winn Dixie
    Bishop Ncommons
    Bob Comenole
    Book
    Book Proposal
    Brain Tumors
    Breaking The Silence
    Breaking The Silence On Abuse
    Brianna Cahill
    Caregivers
    Cat In The Hat
    Cbd
    Cherish This Christmas
    Cheryl Potts
    Chicken Soup For The Soul
    Chick-fil-A
    Child Abuse
    Child Sexual Abuse Video
    Comedy Central Night Of Too Many Stars
    Connie Scruton
    Creekside Counseling Oswego
    Cystic Fibrosis
    Dave Fessenden
    David's Refuge
    Deaf
    Dee Marie
    Delta Lake Christians Writer's Gathering
    Delta Lake Christians Writer's Gathering
    Developmental Delays
    Developmental Disability Awareness
    Devlopmental Disabilities
    Diana Flegal
    Diane Estrella
    Disabilities
    Disability Awarness Month
    Disneys The Lion Kinga8df5c20e5
    Downs Syndrome
    Down Syndrome
    Dream Night At The Zoo
    Dr. Seuss
    Elaine W. Miller
    Elaine W. Miller
    Ellen Yeomans
    Erin Merryn
    Ethan Mills
    Even More Parts
    Faith
    Floating Body Parts
    Flowers For Algernon
    Free Kindle
    From Caring To Sharing
    Heidi Allen
    Hobby Lobby
    Hope Martson
    Hope Network
    Hop On Pop
    Iep
    Inc
    Inc.
    Incest
    Ipad
    Jack Canfield
    Jeanette Levellie
    Joanne Ciezesk
    Jodi Dipiazza
    Katy Perry
    Keala Richardson
    Kidnapping
    Kindle
    Lisa Buske
    Lisa M. Buske
    Lisa M. Buske
    Listen To The Cry Of The Child
    Look Again By Lisa Scottoline
    Look Again Lisa Scottoline
    Lorax
    Love Is A Verb Devotional
    Maria Lin
    Marriage
    Microfiction Muse
    Minglings
    More Parts
    Mulberry Street
    Newton Connecticut
    North Side Baptist Church
    Northside Baptist Church
    Ny
    Olive Garden
    On Wings Of Mirth And Worth
    Oprah
    Osama Bin Laden
    Oswego Bookmobile
    Oswego County Autism Task Force
    Oswego County Autism Walk
    Oswego County Fair
    Oswego Literacy Coalitation
    Oswego Literacy Coalition
    Oswego Reading Council Annual Writing Contest
    Oswego Reading Council Writing Contest
    Oswego Shopper
    Oswego Ymca
    Our Lives With A Special Needs Child
    Parents
    Parents Of Special Children
    Paris Beacon News
    Parts
    Physical Disabilities
    Physical Impariments
    Port City Asembly Of God
    Powder Monkey The War Of 1812
    Red Lobster
    River's End Bookstore
    Rivers End Bookstore
    Riversend Bookstore
    Ruby Tuesday
    Sandy Hook Elementary School
    School Shooting
    Self Publishing
    Senator Patty Ritchie
    Sexual Abuse
    Sexual Abuse Survivor
    Sharon Kane
    Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways
    Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways: Our Lives With A Special Need Child
    Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways:Our Lives With A Special Need Child
    Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways: Our Lives With A Special Needs Child
    Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways: Our Lives With A Special Needs Child
    Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways: Our Lives With A Special Needs Child
    Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways:our Lives With A Special Needs Child
    Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways:our Lives With A Special Needs Child
    Sometime The Wind Blows Sideways Our Lives With A Special Needs Child
    Special Education
    Special Needs
    Special Needs Children
    Splashes Of Serenity
    Stolen Innocence Triumping A Childhhod Broken By Abuse159c832ff4
    Suny Oswego
    Team Ethan
    Ted Arnold
    The Hunger Games
    The Price Of A Mother
    The Price Of A Mothers Love04de7a0ba5
    Two Scoops Of Grace With Chuckles On Top
    Two Scoops Of Grace With Chuckles On Top By Jeanette Levellie
    Ultimate Sacrifices
    Ultimate Sacrifices The Price Of A Motherada3b599ee
    Ultimate Sacrifices; The Price Of A Mother's Love
    Ultimate Sacrifices: The Price Of A Mother's Love
    Ultimiate Sacrifices
    Ultimitate Sacrifices
    Ultitmate Sacrifices: The Price Of A Mother's Love
    Upstate New York Christian Writers Third Annual CHRISTIAN WRITERS’ GATHERING
    Valentines Day
    Wal-Mart
    We All Married Idiots
    Where's Heidi?
    Where's Heidi? One Sister's Journey
    Wit And Wisdom From The Parents Of Special Needs Kids
    World Book Night
    World Book Night Usa 2013
    Writing
    Www.jeanettelevellie.com.

    RSS Feed

    Author

    I have the privilege of being able to shape the minds and lives of children who are battling disabilities.  It can be very trying at times, but more often than not it is very rewarding.  As a mother of a child with a disability, I know the struggles that they go through on a daily basis.  This allows me to have a little more compassion for the people that I work with.


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • A Family No More
  • Praise for A Family No More
  • The first 30 Days in Heaven
  • Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways
  • About The Author
  • Media/Speaking
  • Home
  • Guest book