As the parent of a special needs child, it would be so easy, at this juncture, to become totally absorbed in self pity. It would be so much easier to tell you about what Tina and I have gone through. If it were my story to tell, that is exactly what I would do.

I would tell you about the months, that turned into years...waiting for Samantha to reach, and pass, all the milestones of a normal child. I would record all our visits to the doctor, which ended, every time, with her reminding us that Samantha had been premature, and that, soon, she would be walking and talking all over the place, and that we would soon wonder why we had ever been concerned at all.

I would tell of the pain I felt when I watched my daughter roll instead of crawling until she learned to walk. I would write about having to wait until she was three before hearing her even attempt to speak.

And, I would go to great lengths to document our devastation when, at the age of six, we took Samantha to a clinic...to be tested by a team of specialists. I would try to put into words how our world collapsed when we were given the results...Mentally Retarded - Intermittant Level.

I would attempt to describe the waves of anger that rushed over me when Tina and I met with the school...who informed us that they would do all they could to provide Samantha with an education, but, that we had to accept the fact that Samantha was "mentally retarded", and that their goal would be that she be able to sign her own name by the time she finished her education.

The climax would come when I would tell of how, after seven years of frustration, my wife sat in a doctor's office, sobbing uncontrollably, telling him that she would not leave without a clear-cut diagnosis in regards to Sam. I would, somehow, find the words to describe the mixture of anguish, and relief, that came with the diagnosis that had eluded us for nearly eight years...(Any time oxygen deprivation is experienced, at birth, the end result is Cerebral Palsy.)

But, this is not my story to tell. It is not about two parents who have gone through so much...It is about one remarkable little girl.

You are free to question my use of the word "remarkable" in regard to Samantha. I can fully understand your reservations, and invite you to draw your own conclusions. I hope you do not think me too forward if I tell you that, after having caught a "glimpse of Samantha", you, yourself, will decide that "remarkable" is the most appropriate choice of words to describe her