My Warrior Kid
I am beyond excited to have been given the opportunity to team up with @ThorOfficial for this amazing campaign. Though this is an #sponsored post, those of you that have been following me for some time know this is something that I always talk about. My daughter, Zoey, and her unyielding strength, her Warrior Kid spirit as you might say.Zoey was not given a choice to be a warrior. The meant that she was born our room was filled with doctors, nurses and specialists buzzing around. As a first time dad, the build up to the moment of our daughter’s birth had been epic. But, hearing the hushed tones saying things like “what is this?” or “what are we going to tell the parents” as this crowd of people surrounded her first crib, an incubator, shattered my soul. Or so I thought.The very first time that I walked into the NICU a moment happened that would ring true to the warrior kid that I am blessed to have call me dad. Barely a few hours old, as I stood crying over her incubator, hand resting next to her head, she reached up. She took my finger in her little hands and squeezed. At a few hours old my warrior kid was telling me “we’ve got this dad”.For nearly eleven days we lived in the NICU. I heard words that I had never known, and could barely say. Chief among these was Craniosynostosis. I would later come to learn, and acutely understand how this premature fusion of the joints in my daughter’s skull will make her different, and change our lives forever.
Warrior Kid Staring Down Fear
Over the last five years I have felt my heart stop and shatter as nurses have taken my daughter from my arms 12 times to take her back for a surgery. Many of these have involved an amazing doctor skillfully removing my daughter’s skull, making 100’s of micro cuts into it, and putting her back together again. I have sat next to her for days as she recovers in the PICU. Hyper-aware of each breath, cry, and the (thankfully) ceases beeping of all the monitors. Zoey did not have a choice in being strong. She had to be.Every day it amazes me as I watch her climb trees, run, jump and play. I see that she is not letting anything, or anyone, stop her from enjoying her childhood. For her, normal is different. But with love, joy, and true, deep, strength, she shows the world that she is not afraid. It is her embodiment of a warrior spirit that makes me less afraid. It is a humbling thing to have your warrior kid give you the strength that you need to be their dad.I, for one cannot wait to show my daughter Thor: Ragnarok. I hope that she gets as caught up in the amazing story, and vivid imagery, as I get caught up in her every move. There is a saying that I hear often that always makes me smile. “Not all hero’s wear capes”. Well, as you can tell from below, mine does. And I am thankful that she calls me dad.
Live big, love bigger, and be kind, always.
You can always read more here:http://bit.ly/2FendMv