Jimmie's Miracle at Christmas - Yet another reason to adore Santa Claus

Jimmie is 4 1/2 now.  The first 3 years of his life were spent seizing and working.  Working to learn to crawl and play and walk.  He has a few words, but he rarely repeats them.  He is still non-verbal.  But this is not about what Jimmie is unable to do.  I want to tell you a little about what he can do!

It was November 2008.  I was very pregnant.  Jimmie was going through a rough spot with his seizures.  Christmas that year, I counted 24 in one day, and that was stopping counting at 24 because I just had had enough.  But back to November.  He was seizing on average 10 to 12 times a day.  But I never let that stop me from taking him places.  He liked to go out.  He enjoyed riding in his stroller and watching people. 

It was after Thanksgiving.  The Festival of Trees at the mall was over.  Santa Claus had set up his photo booth.  And I was bored. 

So I took Jimmie to the mall to walk.  I pushed him around a few times.  I took him to JC Penney and bought him some new shoes.  He seemed to like them.  He had AFO's, but I had not put them on him for this trip, just socks.  So I stopped at a bench and put his new shoes on him, sans AFO's.  He kicked happily, looking at the shoes on his feet.  We were right by Santa at the time.  I thought, hmmm.

So I pushed the stroller over to Santa.  There was no one in line, but no sooner had I gotten there, than a little girl came in behind us.  I heard her parents say, "Watch the little boy walk.  He's bigger than you."  I turned to say, "He doesn't know how to walk."  Instead I said, "We'll see if he does it."  They laughed, thinking he was just stubborn, not understanding.  And I didn't correct them.  I just unhooked his belt on the stroller.  He scooted forward and grabbed my hand.  My brain froze.  And then he stood up, still holding my hand.  He was grinning from ear to ear.  And he knew exactly where he was going.  Holding my hand with his little one.  He took a step.  Then another.  Then another.  Until he stood in front of Santa Claus.  He looked up at Santa with the biggest grin in the world.  And I had to wipe the tears out of my eyes.  He let go of my hand and did not fall.  He reached both arms up for Santa to pick him up.  Santa, being Santa, seemed to understand the moment, and reached down and lifted my amazing son to his lap with a hearty Santa laugh.  It was a great moment in my life.

By Christmas, Mommy had what she wanted for Christmas.  Jimmie could not only walk independently, he was running.  He was 2 1/2 years old.  He was seizing like crazy, but he could walk.  In time for his baby brother.  And then on January 6, the 12th day of Christmas, Mommy got her other wish.  The seizures stopped.  He went 4 months seizure free from that moment.   

Santa Claus.  You are my hero.