Beating the Odds

Beating the odds. A phrase we say about a person or people who overcome insurmountable obstacles.  A woman with skin cancer goes into remission, a solider who lost his leg in war starts walking again, and even Cleveland winning a Championship are examples of beating the odds. Beating the odds brings hope, strength, and inspiration to all of our lives.

Jude has spent most of his life climbing mountains, only to get to the other side and realize there are five more in front of him.  He spent most of his first year and half of life at the Cleveland Clinic for doctor's appointments, testing, and healing from surgeries. Then, after all his hard work attending five therapies to learn how to walk, talk, and play, Autism slipped in. He went from being a few months behind, to developmentally 6-12 months at three years old. Throughout his first few months of preschool, he missed weeks of school due to anaphylactic shock and hospitalizations due to illness.  By summer, he had made little to no progress for his social, emotional and cognitive development.  

Yet, despite these overwhelming facts, he remains happy and so loving. When many of us crumble over an insanely busy week, he enjoys the adventure. When many of us are miserable because we have the flu, he is happy watching Elmo videos from his hospital bed.  I could write a million examples (and have written a million) of how Jude exudes strength and happiness in some of the most difficult situations. It is easy to smile when everything lays out as we had planned. It is true strength to smile, laugh, and go on about your daily life when those plans are no longer a possibility. He may not have overcome Autism or his developmental delays, but he has developed strength, smiles at the mountains in front him, and keeps climbing. And that is why Jude is beating the odds.