Precerpt from Raising God's Rainbow Makers: Down the Stairs!
In 1980, I fell down a flight of stairs. The day started out
normally enough. Breakfast over, Donnie departed for work, and school lunches
prepared, the kids and I were ready to take on the day, as usual. Lizzie had
skipped off to her fourth grade class a few blocks from home. Three-year-old Noelle,
dressed in a pretty pink dress and her blond hair tied up into two
ponytails with matching pink ribbons was
tucked away in the back of our orange Pacer, where she could sit comfortably
with her legs stretched out. (Those were days before the invention of seat belts.)
Two-year-old Shane was seated on the outside stairs, waiting for me to bring
out Doah, in his carrier, along with his suction machine for his trach tube. Doah
was on the sofa, next to his suction machine. Everything and everyone in place –
except that Shane needed a pair of socks.
I quickly scooted down the basement stairs in search of
clean socks that should have been on top of the dryer. And the, oops, I
slipped. Down I went, onto my back, and skidded the rest of the way to the
bottom of the stairs, my back hitting each stairs as I passed it before
crashing onto the cement floor. I felt warm, surrounded by greyness, and
realized that I was about to pass out.
That I could not do. If Doah had a clog in his trach tube
with no one available to suction it out, he could die. By sheer will power, I
forced myself to crawl up the stairs. I could not stand, but the crawling kept
me from passing and focused on something useful—I had to reach the phone and
call an ambulance.
At the top of the stairs, I tried to stand again. Nope. My
back remained uncooperative. I crawled across the dining room floor and into
the kitchen. The phone was high on the wall, but fortunately the long cord was within
reach. I pulled and pulled, and eventually the phone tumbled. I called 911, and
an ambulance was dispatched.
While waiting, I crawled back across the dining room and
into the living room. I could hear Doah gasping for air. His trach tube was
occluded! I reached toward his baby seat,
which was on the sofa, but it was too far. I punched the side of the sofa over
and over and over. The only hope was to bounce him off so that I could reach
him and suction him.
Shane, hearing the commotion, came into the living room, which
opened onto the outside stairs. Yes!
“Shane,” I instructed him. “Please put Doah on the floor so
I can suction him.”
Shane tried, but even though Doah was small, only a little
over a year old, he weighed too much for Shane, who was small for his three
years. Doah continued to struggle, which Shane, even at his young age
understood to be a serious problem; after all, he lived with the daily stress,
trauma, and eurekas of a family with four exceptional children.
“I can’t life Doah, Mommy,” he said. Then, he brightened. “I
can suction him.”
“No, Shanie,” I said. “The suction machine is on the plugged-in
setting, but the plug and cord are packed.”
“I can change it,” Shane responded, turned the machine to
batter power, and successfully suctioned Doah, something even some medically
trained folks shied away from or accomplished nervously.
“Good job, Shane!”
“I watch you do it; I know how to do it,” he replied
matter-of-factly.
At that point, two EMTs came rushing through the door. They
determined that I probably had broken my back and placed me on a backboard.
“What about the kids?” one asked.
“Well, Shane here can take you across the street to our
neighbor who can babysit him and his sister who is out in the car, but the baby
will have to come to the hospital with me.”
That EMT headed out to the car, holding Shane’s hand. After
a a minute or so, he called back in to his partner, “Hey, Herb! This one
has braces!”
Those EMTs had just met God’s rainbow makers!
Book Description:
Raising God's Rainbow Makers
A Family Memoir of Grace, Grit, and Growing Up Different
What happens when a military family welcomes four children—each with wildly different needs—into a world not always built to support them?
In Raising God’s Rainbow Makers, one mother shares the remarkable journey of raising two children with complex disabilities—one with spina bifida, one with CHARGE Syndrome—and two intellectually gifted children, all born in different states during years of military life. Through medical crises, educational challenges, and societal roadblocks (both intentional and unintentional), this honest and inspiring memoir tells the story of how one family built a life of strength, compassion, and resilience.
With warmth and unflinching honesty, the author reflects on emergency surgeries, IEP battles, unexpected victories, and the fierce sibling bonds that formed in the face of it all. The children—now grown—bear witness to the power of support, faith, and never giving up.
This is not just a story of survival. It is a celebration of difference, a chronicle of hope, and a powerful testament to what love and determination can build when the world says "impossible."
Keywords:
Parenting memoir; Special needs parenting; Raising children with disabilities; Military family life; Family resilience; Inspirational family story; Faith-based memoir; Coping with medical challenges; Sibling support stories; Gifted children; Spina bifida; CHARGE Syndrome; Hydrocephalus; Congenital disabilities; Complex medical needs; Pediatric neurosurgery; IEP and special education; Gifted education; Educational advocacy; Inclusive education; Hope and healing; Courage and strength; Love and perseverance; Raising different children; Disability acceptance; Parenting through adversity; Overcoming barriers; Finding joy in hardship; Special needs journey; Family unity and support; For parents of disabled children; For parents of gifted children; For educators and therapists; Christian parenting memoir; For families facing rare diagnoses; Real-life parenting stories; Memoirs about raising children; Stories of medical miracles
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Read more stories -- and photos -- about the Mahlou family in the blog (no longer maintained), Clan of Mahlou.
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