From a Grandparent’s Heart
It’s here, finally here. I’m talking about the 3rd annual GrandSlamathon Softball Tournament. It’s like Christmas, the County Fair, and the day school is out all rolled up into one. Well for my husband and I and our family, it is. This is another way for us to support our daughter, and be a part of finding a cure for Rett Syndrome. I bet you wanna know why I (a 62 year old grandmother to 10 and great-grandmother to 2) can get so excited about a softball tournament and Rett Syndrome.
I will tell you why. My daughter - Nancy Threadgill gave birth to our first grandchild, a girl, our granddaughter – yah, on February 13, 1987. All our dreams and wishes and wants were being fulfilled – the baby was a girl. With all the frills and thrills, going to kindergarten, 1st boyfriend, graduation day, falling in love, getting married, having babies all her own, was just before us. We were so excited and everything was going great until Jessica turned 10 months old (December – yeah – Merry Christmas) that is when she had her first seizure. Then when she was 15 months old and not walking, we went to a neurologist and heard she has a problem. What it was - he did not know. He didn’t admit it though. He kept throwing around names, problems, diseases, and disorders. This was in July of 1988. We were blown away and our hearts were breaking for Jessica – our beautiful, happy, and playful baby girl. I watched Nancy do her best to keep going and have a “normal” life for Jessica. This is life as we all know it now. And still, after all these years (22) she is still sitting on her Popaw’s lap and he is still singing to her. You should hear that! All the doctors she saw, trying different meds, developing cluster seizures, ER trips with most of them meaning she stays in the hospital, the drug induced coma, enduring the stares, giving birth to 3 more of the smartest, most loving and giving children I have ever been around, Nancy knew "life goes on". You do what you can and keep on going facing those mountains that you have with a special needs child and going over that mountain and then find another waiting for you.
In October, 2006 Nancy found out about a 4 yr. old that needed a home with a loving family that would treat her like she was their own, love her, take care of her or die trying. Much the way you would do your own child, Lainey was to be Nancy and Kenny’s 5th child and the 2nd one with Rett Syndrome. It was then that life around here took a turn. Nancy decided that sitting in her home taking care of everybody and being everything for everybody was not enough. She always had a burning hope that a cure would come for her girls now rather than later. She jumped into starting a fundraising community for Rett Syndrome. The name of it is Rett Syndrome Community Foundation (RSCF). The first fundraising event was held in October of 2007 and was very successful. We surprised ourselves and had a great start with quite a few people (including Cindy - our other daughter). We muddled thru the first year and learned a lot. In 2008 Nancy and a few others at her church (not to name names but Pastor Bryan, his wife Mandy, Miss Virginia) that had been sticking with Nancy, saw a way to grow and raise more money. Then Nancy met a great family (Sherri and Rick) that has a daughter (Caitlin) with Rett Syndrome. With all this help the RSCF was up and running. It has been great for the Rett community, the awareness this is creating is worth every penny she has sent to the research people, and also all the new friends we all have made and the support that is being shared right where we live is wonderful. All these people are pitching in their dollars for a cure and their prayers for strength.
If you are still reading – thank you! I sure did not intend to make this thingy so long but I just really wanted you to know how important and very special this is. All of these rett girls want to do the “normal” things girls do. And all the parents and grandparents want the same thing. We have no idea whose dollar will find the cure - I sure hope it is mine. Make no mistake and don’t ever settle for 2nd best, there is a cure and it is coming. Would you please help these beautiful girls have everything they want, say everything they want to say, and live a life good enough for them? So far they have been cheated in so many ways and it has gone on long enough.
Now I hope you know why we do what we do.
Grandparents to Jessica and Delaina,
Parents to Nancy Threadgill & Cindy Wensil
Terry & Vicki Thompson
