Regional Birthright Conference

I had the privilege of sharing Matthew’s story at the Regional Birthright Conference today. It was such an honor, and so great to be there!  I couldn’t have asked for a warmer, more welcoming audience. Thanks for inviting me, Birthright!

As promised, here are the links I mentioned today during the presentation:

BeNotAfraid.net is an excellent resource for any parents facing an adverse prenatal diagnosis.  It is full of stories from parents who refused abortion, even when facing devastating medical circumstances.  It offers support and encouragement for parents who face any kind of medical issues with their baby during pregnancy.

Raising A Boy Who Wasn’t Supposed to Live is the article about Matthew that was published on the “What to Expect When You are Expecting” website, and viewed over one million times.

Matthew’s Miracle: The Healing of a Broken Heart is a more complete version of Matthew’s story.

Thank you again for having me today.  If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free to contact me at: amyvawter@gmail.com.

Turn Around, and You’re Eight!

Oh my!  Has it really been a year since my last post?  I guess I have been too busy living life to blog about it!

Matthew the Miracle turned EIGHT this week!  When the boys asked Matthew, “What kind of birthday do you want?,” and gave him options such as “race car birthday, pirate birthday, glow-stick birthday, balloon birthday…” he replied, “Church birthday!  Father-David!” We were able to start his day of celebration with a beautiful Mass celebrated by Fr. David. I love this kid’s heart, and he has already taught us so much. I can’t wait to see what else God has planned for his life!

Our mission for this birthday was to find a bicycle Matthew could ride.  He has long outgrown our little tricycle, and never liked the feeling of the balance-bike.  Even a bike with training wheels felt too unsteady for him, and he would give up.  We needed something fun, exciting, steady, and easy to pedal and steer.  We looked at adaptive tricycles made for children with special needs, but with price tags of $2K-$6K, those were out of the question!

Then, we found the Mobito on Amazon.com.  It was exactly what we were looking for.  It fits Matthew perfectly on the smallest setting, and will be able to grow with him for many years.  It looks so “cool,” and is so fun to ride, that all of the other kids beg for a turn on it, too!

Matthew is growing up in so many way.  His speech is becoming clearer and clearer, and he is now able to sound out simple words in addition to reading over 50 sight-words.  We are so proud!