This boy came into the world without upper or lower limbs, unlike everyone else. However, seven years passed, and something unthinkable happened. Kitty was brave, but she didn’t think she was brave enough to stay awake while she was being operated on.
Therefore, she chose to be unconscious during the process. Hours later, she blinked slowly, trying to bring the room into focus. The ceiling above her head was a stark white color, while the room she was lying in had pale blue walls.
She was momentarily disoriented, wondering where she was. This room wasn’t familiar to her at all. She tried to sit up, and the bed squeaked beneath her. That was strange because she didn’t own a spring bed. She opened her mouth to call for her mom but discovered that her throat was parched from thirst. How long had she been asleep? She looked for a window to see what time of the day it was, but found it was covered by drapes.
Katie frowned. Why was her mind so scrambled? It was at that moment that the door of the room swung open and the strong smell of antiseptic hit her. Like a house of cards tumbling down, her memories clicked into place. She remembered she was at the hospital for the delivery of her baby.
“Where’s my son? I want my Camden,” she demanded from the nurse who walked in to check on her well-being.
The nurse calmly asked her to relax. It was only then that Katie noticed she was breathing hard and her hands had formed fists. Her entire body was high-strung and on alert, expecting danger. She narrowed her eyes at the nurse distrustfully.
The nurse sighed and went to the dispenser in the corner of the room to fill a cup of water, which she gave to Katie. Katie refused to take the water. With another sigh and a strained smile, the nurse informed Katie that her baby was fine. She wasn’t satisfied with this reply. She wanted to see her baby with her own two eyes. He had been birthed while she was passed out from the drug the medics administered.
“Your son is in the NICU,” the nurse said.
Panic rose in Katie, and her heart skipped several beats. Many questions popped into her mind, and in her eagerness to ask all of them, her words tripped over one another. The nurse was understanding of her predicament and promised to take her there to meet her son once she had some water to drink. Speedily, Katie gulped down the water and bounced on her bed, eager to get out of it. The sudden movement strained the fresh stitches in her stomach, and she winced at the onset of pain. She had just undergone a C-section to give life to her baby boy, Camden.
Carefully, she got into a wheelchair the nurse brought and was wheeled to the NICU to meet her son. Although there were other babies there, Katie knew her son the moment she saw him. How could she not when he was the only one without arms or legs? Yet she never felt relief so strong as she did when she saw the rise and fall of his chest. She instructed the nurse to wheel her faster to her baby. Looking into the crib that held him, love surged in her heart, and without warning, she burst into sobs of joy. Her baby was a wonder in all ramifications. She couldn’t believe that she almost didn’t have him.
With her mind at rest now that she had finally seen her son, Katie returned to her hospital room. Her mother, who had left for a few hours to freshen up at home, was there waiting for her. She opened her arms to Katie, who leaned in to receive the warm, big hug. She didn’t need to speak a word for her mother to know what she needed. Tears coursed down her cheeks. When she was calm, her mother told her that the weight of the baby was 4 lb 8 oz, and he was 12.5 inches long. She was there when he was weighed and measured. Katie committed these details to memory and vowed never to forget. Without limbs, he was shorter than most babies, but she would never take his existence for granted.
Only a year ago, Katie had been in a violent relationship with her then-boyfriend. She had been living with him in his parents’ house and enduring so much emotional turmoil. Her world had come crumbling down when he had told her he wanted to break up. But as it turned out, she had started displaying signs of morning sickness and skipped a period. After taking a pregnancy test, it came out positive. She was 18 years old then. When her boyfriend heard of her pregnancy, he’d been excited about the news, and the promise of a life they had created together brought them closer. They hoped it would be a boy and planned to name him Camden.
At 18 weeks of pregnancy, Katie had gone for an ultrasound, and there it had been revealed that her baby had formation defects. The doctor hadn’t been able to find his arms and legs. The doctor explained to Katie that her child could be born with significant neurological challenges, potentially impacting their cognitive and physical abilities, and requiring substantial care and support. It was possible that he might not be able to function on his own. It was either that or he might die at birth. She had the option to go through with the pregnancy or let him go while he was still in the womb.
Heartbroken, Katie had consulted with her baby’s daddy, and he had wanted her to let the baby go. They had set a date for the procedure. As the set date drew closer, Katie had been plagued with severe unease. How could she let go of a baby that was kicking in her belly? It was true that kicking implied the baby had legs, but what if he did? Katie wondered. What if the doctors were wrong?
One night before the procedure, Katie had fallen to her knees in prayer and begged God for strength and direction. She hadn’t wanted to go through with it. The clarity had been so strong, but she knew the position of her baby’s daddy. He would never see things her way. He and his family had been adamant that the child couldn’t be born. They didn’t want an unhealthy child. In their own words, they had used much more colorful language, but Katie refused to think of her child or any child in that way.
Before the scheduled day for the procedure, Katie’s path had crossed with that of a heavily pregnant woman, and she had gotten a chance to confide in her. The woman had seen the passion Katie had for her unborn son and had advised her to follow her heart because once she did, there would be strength to back up her decision. Indescribable peace swept Katie’s body and soul once she stood her ground to keep her son no matter what.
On the day of the procedure, Katie had simply ghosted the doctor’s appointment. She had gone with her friend on a trip who had invited her to come along. She was young, scared, and confused. The trip had offered her a chance to get away and think. Katie had no means of supporting herself, not to talk of a baby with a disability, but she took comfort in the words of the pregnant lady. She knew her own mind and heart. Support from unexpected places had arisen for Katie.
Her grandma had given her a journal with the name of the expected baby, Camden Lee. From Katie’s first ultrasound, she had discovered the gender of her baby, and once the news reached her grandma’s ears, she had prepared a journal for the baby boy she longed to meet.
But because Katie had been torn in her decision on whether to keep the baby or not, her grandma had held on to the journal. When she finally told her grandma that she would keep the baby, her grandma was excited for her. Katie had thrown herself into her grandma’s arms, overcome with emotion and full of gratitude.
Katie’s entire family had been so supportive as well—her younger sister, stepmom, and dad. To mentally prepare herself to meet her son, Katie had started researching other people with similar conditions. She had found out that every person was a unique case. Some individuals were born with fatal variations of the condition and passed away not long after birth, while others needed lifelong assistance.
Others, like Nick Vujicic, the international bestselling author and motivational speaker, found independence and even a way to thrive. Her research had led Katie to discover a baby boy named Stetson. Surprisingly and somewhat fortunately, he lived close by.
After getting in touch with his mother, Katie went to visit them. He was a gorgeous baby boy despite his disability, and his mother was willing to talk about anything Katie wanted to know. This had been a great source of comfort for Katie, helping her navigate the remaining months of her pregnancy with a newfound sense of peace.
The day after giving birth to Camden, the doctor invited Katie to his office. He wore a grim expression that put her on alert. If she didn’t need to remain seated because of pain from her C-section, she would have stood. She was seriously worried out of her mind. She asked the doctor to go ahead and talk to her. He told her of Camden’s diagnosis. He had a condition known as Amelia Poinia. It was this condition that caused him not to develop full limbs. He only had upper arms that ended at the elbow. His thighs and legs were stumps—they didn’t develop at all. He had his hips, and that was it. Katie took deep breaths, reminding herself to remain positive no matter what. She had expected the journey to be difficult; she wasn’t counting on it to be easy, but it didn’t mean that she wasn’t afraid.
The doctor went ahead to inform her that because of Camden’s delicate state, he had been taken to the NICU immediately after birth. It had initially been done as a safety measure, but some issues had come up with his health. Katie leaned forward in her seat when she heard this
. Her mind raced with terrible possibilities. Was it organ failure? Brain damage? Was he truly in a vegetative state? Her horror was visible on her face, so the doctor went ahead to tell her exactly what the matter was. Camden had breathing issues. At first, he had seemed fine, but on closer observation, the medics had discovered he was turning blue and suffering from lack of oxygen. They had to place him on assisted breathing.
Katie shut her eyes as a tear of pain slid out. She tried and failed not to think about the amount of money every second her son’s breathing was worth. She hated this—having to place her son and money on a scale. It turned out some fluids were blocking his lungs, but the doctors would carry out a quick procedure to clear the passageway. Although the doctor sounded capable, Katie wasn’t serene. She remained awake throughout the night, sitting outside the NICU, peering through the glass window at her son. She wasn’t permitted to be with him inside. In the past, when Katie had to stay up all night, she relied on strong doses of caffeine. But when it came to Camden, she didn’t need it. He was her whole world, and she was willing to do anything for him.
Several times, the medics on duty would breeze in and out to check on the babies. Each time, she pleaded with them to check on Camden. Many of them indulged her, but others asked her to return to her room because her presence there wouldn’t contribute to her baby’s well-being. She tamped down her annoyance to yell at those second set of people. Did they not understand the mother’s desperate love for her child?
The doctor in charge of Camden’s case came by in the morning. He was surprised to see Katie waiting there outside the NICU. He told her not to worry and that everything would go fine. The procedure was swift, but Camden needed to be monitored for another 24 hours to ensure he was breathing properly. That night, Katie would have kept another vigil, but her mother showed up at the hospital and forced her to get some rest. Reluctantly, she agreed. But the speed with which she used to get out of bed some hours later was proof to everyone that Katie was dreaming of her baby. She hadn’t let her guard down even in her sleep.
When she rushed to the NICU to check on her son, she met her mother waiting there. She held Katie’s hand and nodded at her while beaming. It had happened—Camden was breathing without assistance. The doctors also investigated the other organs and found them to be in tiptop shape. This news brought Katie some relief amidst the challenges ahead. Besides, it wasn’t just Katie who thought her baby boy was totally adorable. Katie’s mother and the medics were of the same opinion and often stopped by her room to randomly check on Camden. They loved his chubby face, his sweet baby scent, and his baby gurgles. Some of them thought it was such a shame that a beautiful baby like him hadn’t formed well, although most of them kept this to themselves.
Katie believed that her son was perfect. He was so soft and cuddly, and she often preferred to hold him in her arms instead of laying him down in his cot. Whenever she looked at him, love bubbled up within her. He was no monster like her ex kept saying. The thought that her baby’s own father could be so cruel to him was hard to grasp for Katie. After the delivery, Katie relocated to get away from her ex and his family, who had been bitter that she had chosen to keep Camden. Her ex had constantly hounded her, calling her selfish and evil for deviating from an agreed plan. He had been harassing her on the phone and had threatened to come to her father’s house and deal with her. Katie had gotten help from her mother, who lived out of state. She had moved to Texas, which served the double purpose of getting her away from her ex and bringing her closer to her mother, who would help her with Camden.
A few days after bringing Camden home from the hospital, Katie found herself pacing at night. She had just finished breastfeeding and rocking him to sleep. She questioned whether she was truly the best caregiver for Camden. Her desire to give him everything he needed to succeed in life motivated her to earn her high school GED shortly after discovering her pregnancy. Now she was determined to attend college for the sake of her son. Since Katie arrived in Texas, her mother had single-handedly catered to the needs of all three of them. Katie knew that it was time she found a job, or else her mother might grow tired of the added responsibilities. As a single parent, Katie felt insufficient but was constantly reminded that she wasn’t alone. All her loved ones called often and continued to call for a long time. Even Stetson’s mother called to find out if Katie needed to talk about anything related to Camden. Katie hoped that Stetson and Camden would be great friends, especially because they had the same disability and would need to support each other.
For the first few months of his life, Katie didn’t know what to expect from Camden. She often spent hours at a stretch staring at him, wondering what had become of him. He would lay still on the bed for so long that she would have to check his position so he wouldn’t become stiff. But at six months old, Camden gave Katie the shock of her life. She caught him on the baby monitor knocking toys with his arm. He used those same arms to hold Katie and snuggle. His growth and development had taken longer than Katie anticipated, but it was progress all the same, and she celebrated this milestone.
At eight months old, Camden rolled over by himself for the first time. Katie’s jaw drop could have swept the floor. At a year old, he started sitting upright unassisted. Camden’s development inspired Katie to dedicate her old social media page to sharing his journey. Camden learned how to color on his own, using his underarms to hold a crayon in place. Later on, he figured out how to brush his teeth, eat by himself, wash his face, and even climb the stairs at the playground. Learning to do these activities by himself was so tasking that he would sweat profusely from repeated trials. Katie would see and offer a lending hand, but he would reject it, insisting he could do it.
When Camden turned two and a half years old, Katie started dating another man, Cole. He was good to both of them and loved Camden a lot. This was miraculous considering Katie’s ex had told her nobody would want a single mother with a monster for a child. There wasn’t one single monstrous thing about Camden, who was always smiling and spreading happiness. In due time, Katie and Cole decided it was time to give Camden a sibling. When his little sister Riley arrived, they were instantly best friends. Camden would roll over to put her pacifier in her mouth whenever she cried.
At four years old, Camden walked for the first time with encouragement from his daddy, Cole. Katie sobbed like a baby while Riley cheered. His parents also took him to meet Nick Vujicic, the motivational speaker and international bestseller with Camden’s condition. Despite his physical limitations, they made sure to broaden his perspective on what was achievable. He still could have a beautiful and fulfilling life, they assured.
Soon, seven years had passed, and Camden was nothing close to the vegetable the doctors had said he would be. He had become a wild, spunky boy who had enough perseverance and attitude to do anything he set his mind to. Katie, who always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, was living her dream. She homeschooled Camden and the other children she ended up giving birth to. Camden was a big brother to two boys and four girls. He took care of and bossed them around in equal measure. Camden had changed Katie’s life in incomparable ways. He showed her strength through his, and that love could overcome any obstacle. He taught her that she had a voice that could be used to help others, and most of all, he taught her not to give up.
What do you think about this, Camden? Do you have any encouraging words for the boy? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. Thank you for watching.
