Madison Sanders Writes

Pre-mature birth. Cerebral Palsy. Surgeries. Therapy. Wheelchair. If I can help just one person by sharing with them how I’ve overcome seemingly insurmountable odds in my life, it will be worth it all. If I can offer just one word of encouragement to a parent of a special needs child, the pain I’ve endured is still worth it all. My earthly father has never accepted me as I am, but showing others how much my Heavenly Father genuinely loves me makes it worth it all. You know, a lot of Christians wait until they’ve gotten things all figured out before they start trying to reach out to others. I may be young, but I have learned that we all face hard times on this journey called life, and it’s how we react to them that makes all the difference. I decided that I wasn’t going to wait until my healing totally manifested or things seem to be easier for me before I try to help bridge the gap for others. True, I have felt like an outsider more times than I’d care to admit. However, through mu

I haven't updated everyone on my nephew, so I plan to fix that today.  Mason is 3 months old and getting bigger everyday! He is such a joy to be around.  I thought I would share a few of my favorite pictures that my mom has taken over the past few months. I don't know what he was thinking about after his bath, but he sure looked cute!

The more I look at life, the more I stand in awe of God. People always say to me, "You have such a gift with writing!" I'm humbled each and every time I hear it because I know I'm nothing without God. He is the reason I'm alive. Don't believe me? Read this post . Without him, I wouldn't have the breath of life. I'm so grateful for the mercy He gives me each day.  I have done absolutely nothing to deserve Him and His awesome presence and guidance. I am made worthy through His blood. The fact that Jesus died for me...and all of humanity still leaves me speechless sometimes. I don't know about you, but I don't know many people who would die for complete strangers. Let's face it, even if they would, they wouldn't choose to be crucified and beaten beyond comprehension. His life inspires me each day. Jesus only lived for 30 years here on Earth, yet He performed notable miracles and touched more people during one sermon than any o

I've just finished my first class of the new semester.  7:00 sure did come early this morning after a three month break!  The sun was shining as my mom and I left for school this morning. It's a new day filled with possibilities. I'm excited to start learning new things.  I'm still a junior, although I previously said I would be a senior.  It's just because I can't sit long enough at school to have 17 or 18 hours worth of credit each semester, but I am getting it done. *I know sunshiny isn't an actual word, but it reminded me of that song "I Can See Clearly Now" and the lyrics that say, "It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!" Just wanted to check in with everyone. Hope you're having an awesome Monday!

After doing my poll a few weeks ago, I realized that a lot of you probably don't understand a lot about cerebral palsy. While some people are paralyzed and unable to communicate that is not the case with me. I'm not paralyzed. I can walk some with the help of my walker. I've had several people come up to me in the doctor's office and ask if I had an accident. I did not have a car accident. I started having back pains at he end of my sophomore year in high school. What started out as a back ache quickly turned into something more. After several months of trying to find a doctor that would accept my new insurance, x-rays revealed that I had a stress fracture in my lower back. The formal diagnosis was  spondylolysis . The doctors tried to treat it with two different types of braces with no improvement.  The diagnosis was then changed to spondylolisthesis. After an MRI showed that the stress fracture had gotten worse,  the doctor said surgery was my only option

An old man once said, "There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who will make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living." ~Not sure of the author In light of my grandfather's passing, I've been reflecting on a lot of things. I will try to sum up my thoughts.  We shouldn't wait until someone dies to start treating others with respect.  Don't wait until tomorrow to do something kind for someone. Don't wait until tomorrow to become a better you.  Don't wait until tomorrow to focus on someone other than yourself.  Don't wait until it's too late to try fix everything you wish you would have done differently.  I guess that is something that has been playing over and over in my mi