My lovely daughter, Elyssa

by Adriana Yazid
(Malaysia)

When Elyssa was growing up, I always worry about her. She couldn't do a lot of things other children can do at her age. But she was always a sweet child. Since she was a baby, I carried her in my arms everytime I could until I couldn't anymore when one day, I could not get up with back pain for week, after carrying her. I never knew this gave her a good start to a condition that I would not have known until a few years later.

So she learned from the day she was born, how good it was to be hugged and how good it was to hug someone.She learned how we could show love just by holding hands and not reject body contact.

But my heart goes for her as she also wants friends of her own, outside of the family circle. She never seems to have many or any at times.... Just like me when I was young, so I thank God that I could teach her what took me more than a decade to learn. How to say, what to say, when to say things without hurting people or having them say, "You're strange, you're weird..." And I am still learning. It hurts to feel rejected, made to feel that you don't belong and I dont want want my lovely daughter to endure such feelings. We always tell her that no matter what, we are her best friends and we will always be there for her whenever she needs us.

One day, she wrote me a note which says, "My mummy is like a blooming flower in my heart that gives me fragrance everyday in my life." She looked at me and said, "As long as you are by my side, I will never give up and I will always try my best." I know at that moment that she will be all right. She will be just fine.

She's doing good in school now. Better than what we ever expected. She's learning more social skills, although slowly but surely. And sometimes, she gets hurt but she quickly learns and bounce back to learn more. She knows, her family is always behind her.

She's such a positive child, I learn to be more positive from her. We learn from each other. In being her mother and care giver, she now, unknowingly became my teacher.