Member Spotlight

Tressa Lynn Hall

Once upon a time there was born a very little girl named Tressa Lynn. She weighed 2lbs 15oz and was only 15" long. Before her birth, she tested positive for Spina Bifida and Downs Syndrome. At birth, for about 15 minutes she had the features of a Downs baby. By a miracle of God, they disappeared. She didn't have Spina Bifida either. But she did have Cerebral Palsy. Her arms and legs were too small for her even tinier body. She was airlifted from Yavapai Regional Medical Center in Prescott to Phoenix Children’s Hospital within only a few hours of entering this world.

I stayed wi th her every day, praying with her, singing her hymns and touching her when they would let me. Alarms were constantly going off on the machines connected to the tubes going down her throat, into her belly button and the IV'S, etc. But Tressa fought on. She came home at 3lbs 15oz. Soon therapists started coming to work with her. Her arms and legs caught up with her body. They tried to prepare me for the worst. They told me all the things Tressa would never be able to do; but, Tressa proved them wrong. She's crawling, walking in a gait trainer, riding a tricycle, clapping both hands, going to pre-school, coloring, painting, saying her prayers, "reading books". She can count and say her ABC's. One of the most amazing things is she is toilet trained.

Her therapists told me when she was a year old that she would probably never be potty trained because of the spastisity in her body. Tressa sees other people do things and she WANTS to do them too. She is DETERMINED to SUCCEED. When I put her in her first "Dora" panties, she smiled for hours. She has had only two "accidents" in 7 months, both were my fault. I was busy and didn't help her on the potty chair fast enough. I told her how sorry I was and her reply was, "Its okay, Mommy". Now she is works on getting onto the potty chair herself. Tressa is 4 years old now and just started on Baclafen, a muscle relaxant. I believe it is making it easier for her to do what she is determined to do and what I think she was put here for; to show others God will bless you and strengthen you no matter what your situation is. She doesn't believe in giving up. That's just how God made her. Tressa is truly a blessing to me and I thank God for her.

Written by Brenda Hall, Mom