‘Our eldest daughter has been diagnosed with dyspraxia, a lifelong disorder where her brain doesn’t communicate properly with her body. She’s in therapy three times a week.
‘It’s a hard gig. There’s a lot of frustration—for her and for us. It’s exhausting. She’s six, so we’re right at the beginning. It’s a heavy burden. Day-in, day-out, I’m in a state of sincere worry for her.
‘Being a parent of a special-needs child is a lonely journey. It’s a true grief that you live over and over—denial, anger, blame. I went through a period blaming myself for how she is. I didn’t know if there was something I’d eaten or drank when I was pregnant. I was finding it very difficult to live with myself thinking this could have been my fault.
‘One day in the middle of all this, I was reading the story of Jesus healing the blind man. The disciples ask Jesus, “Why was this many born blind? Was it because of his sin, or something his parents did?”
‘But Jesus responds, “No, it’s not either. This has happened so that God can be glorified!”
‘In that moment, God turned my winter into spring. He said, “Claire, this isn’t about you. I have a plan for this girl, and I will be glorified in her life!”
Claire Bonnor