My name is Christopher Charles Spencer and for me, life itself is the ultimate adventure.
I started this adventure on June 3, 2000. My little heart quit beating in my mommy’s tummy, and 20 minutes later I was taken out. As soon as the doctors opened my airway, my heart spontaneously started beating again. I arrived three and a half months early to the perfect family.
My doctor stayed at my bed all night — doing everything he could to keep me alive.
I had hemorrhaging in my brain, which caused brain damage. I only weighed 1 lb. 3 oz. My liver wasn’t functioning properly, my lungs were premature and in general my tiny body just wasn’t ready for this adventure called life. My doctors were afraid I would be a vegetable, and questioned my parents about whether they should discontinue life support. After a five-month roller coaster ride in the hospital, I was sent home with the expectation that my liver would continue to fail, and I would die. However, I loved being home, and my spirit was strong —strong enough to overcome all the odds that were against me, and I began to thrive.
Today, I am a happy eight year-old boy who, though I have yet to utter a clearly audible word, has expressed my joy at this mortal state, more clearly than the most literate of human beings.
My parents, Randy and Alice Spencer, along with my two siblings, Ben and Abbie (she’s a real pain!) have loved and nurtured me so much that I have progressed much further than the doctors ever expected. One thing that cannot be denied is the power of love. Each day that I wake up and smile and laugh, is a miracle for me and for my family. Some people feel sorry for us because their eyes see a fragile boy who requires endless work. Others believe that I am here to teach people about themselves and to remind them of the plain and simple truth of the existence of a higher Deity. For me, all my adventures will be about undisputable pure joy. My adventures will be simple ones, because it is in the simplest moments that true joy can be found. Some of the activities that bring me pure joy and which I love are swimming; horseback riding; 4-wheeler riding; riding my trike bike; boating, tubing, and surfing behind the boat with my dad; sledding; and boinging doorstops. My parents refer to me as a “speed junkie.” I love to do anything that involves speed and adrenaline! Today, I am not leaving the house but I am going on a great adventure. I will be going on a bike ride. My mom puts my tennis shoes on, and straps me to my adaptive trike-bike. Then she tries to keep me from biting my hands, and bending over to run my fingers over the moving wheel. Two things that, to her dismay, I find great joy in. My adventure is full of stops and starts as I enjoy the noise, vibrations and listening to the popping sound of the playing cards my dad put in the spokes. I go through times of pedaling extremely fast as if I am racing with everything I’ve got, and then pausing to take a rest. I can go like this for hours but my mom limits my time to one hour. It’s a good thing too, because I need a nap when I am finished! My parents did a lot of research and found this bike for me online. It can be stationary but when the weather permits this spring, look out — I’m hitting the road! |
