All things considered, the future of my life was rife with uncertainty. I was born three months early and weighed one pound, twelve ounces at birth. Additionally, I suffered two strokes — a grade three on one side of my brain and a grade four on the other, with grade four being the highest level of severity one can have. My parents were told that if I lived, I might never walk or talk. But there was one thing my parents (both unbelievers at the time) and the doctors failed to consider: the mightiness and power of God.

Jeremiah 32:17: “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”

Now in my thirties, I can wholeheartedly say that having cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, and ADHD is the greatest gift God has ever given me. Growing up, my life was fraught with medical appointments — OT, PT, vision therapy, speech therapy. I had it all. Sometimes I had as many as thirteen appointments in one week, as well as ten surgeries. I couldn’t do a lot of things many of my peers could, like ballet, gymnastics, or even swinging on the monkey bars at recess. It just wasn’t possible. Still, I had an amazing childhood. I learned to focus on what I could do, not on what I couldn’t.

However, in my early teens, my disability made me feel utterly worthless. Then I began volunteering with a local organization that taught children what it was like to have a disability. It was there I heard the story of a fellow volunteer who lost both of his arms. With the use of mechanical arms, he flew airplanes — upside down! My fourteen‑year‑old self was amazed. I remember thinking, If he can do that with no arms, imagine what I could do!

When I got to college, I realized I enjoyed teaching but didn’t want to be a teacher. I wanted to use my experiences to help others. Surely, I could find something where my experiences and my disability would be an asset, not a detriment. Then the Lord led me to enroll in the Speech‑Language Pathology Assistant program at my local college. A Speech‑Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) is a clinician who works under a Speech‑Language Pathologist (SLP). My role is to provide therapy. This was perfect! Out of all the therapies I had endured, speech therapy had always been my favorite. My therapist had me suck pudding out of a straw, which meant my mother was obligated to buy chocolate pudding — something she would have never done otherwise. I was thrilled!

I had always been a straight‑A student. During my internship, however, I realized once again that things were not easy for me. While my classmates appeared successful, I was drowning in a series of extremely traumatic experiences that left me questioning whether my damaged brain could handle everything, and it made me feel like an utter failure. Still, God was with me. One of the main ways God speaks to me is through music, and I clung to those songs and the promises they held with all my might. “Day One” by Matthew West, “Diamonds” by Hawk Nelson, “Overcomer” by Mandisa, and too many Fireflight songs to name were in constant rotation. I was reminded how, just a few years earlier, the Lord had blown my mind by allowing me to work backstage at a big Christian music festival. I got to chat with Dawn Michele, the lead singer of Fireflight — my favorite band — for quite a while. Surely, He could blow my mind again.

Boy, did He ever! After I graduated, I began working for an incredible private practice. I started small, with just six students. Then the pandemic hit. Fortunately, my company had been seeing clients over Zoom for ten years prior, and my amazing supervising SLP was extremely well‑versed in it. I found that providing therapy online was my strength, and my number of students grew exponentially. Even things I once agonized over, like my own occasional less‑than‑smooth speech, became an asset. I’ve received many emails from families I serve stating how sharing my own experiences helped their child tremendously and that they are brimming with newfound confidence.

Now, in my seventh year as a clinician, I want to ensure each and every one of my students accomplishes their goals, has lots of fun, and develops a sense of pride in who they are as individuals — whatever their life circumstances. This has been a good reminder for myself personally to trust God in all circumstances. Whenever Satan taunts me with “You’ll never be able to…” or “There’s no way…,” I blast my favorite song, “Death of Fear” by ALTIRA, and take in the lyrics: “I see how you look at me, like you only see defeat, but I’m not here to negotiate my surrender.” I picture God rolling up His sleeves, defiantly telling Satan, Watch me.

– Paige

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“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27

“Afflicted city, lashed out by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli.” Isaiah 54:11