Page 7 of The Grinch who Loved Me
CHAPTER2
ARIA CANNON
Aria Cannon was born with issues more than anyone thought she could have.
Her mom had severe complications when she was pregnant with Aria. For one, Aria was a complete surprise and everyone was thrilled about it. But when she was born, her mom had a hard time and Aria was without oxygen for longer than she should have been because her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and she got stuck in the birth canal.
She almost died and she had to be in the NICU for a few months.
And her parents were told that the issues she had at birth caused her to have cerebral palsy.
Her legs didn’t work the best and for the first little while she had to be pushed in a stroller or wheelchair.
She went to a lot of different doctors and her mom and dad were very hands on.
When her dad was home that is. He was a commercial airline pilot and was gone a lot for his job.
But whenever he was home, he was so fun and they did a lot together.
And her brothers were some of the best a girl could ask for.
Jet and Bowing helped her and their mom whenever they could.
They were there when she got her first pair of tiny crutches and cheered her on when she took her first steps.
She got stronger with her crutches and loved being able to get around by herself.
When she was old enough to go to school, her mom was worried, but her dad convinced her. He told her that Aria should have the same experiences everyone else would.
So they signed her up for school. But it seemed like Aria couldn’t hold onto the information.
She didn’t notice at first, because she was so young, but as she got older she knew that she wasn’t learning like the other kids.
Her mind didn’t seem to want to hold all the information it was given.
It was hard to keep up with the other kids in her classes and she talked as if she were younger than her years for a while, because she just couldn’t keep up.
Everyone was really kind to her and they helped her a lot and she loved how great everyone treated her, but it bothered her that she couldn’t be like everyone else.
One day, she fell. She was trying to walk without her crutches and she fell really hard and her mom rushed inside her room.
“Aria! What are you doing? Oh my gosh! Are you okay?”
Her mom helped her sit up and Aria started to cry, “I just want to be like everyone else.”
Her mom pulled her in close, “Oh my sweet girl. You are like everyone else.”
Aria shook her head, “No. I’m not. I’m different. Still a baby.”
Her mom cupped her face, “You sweet girl,” she sighed, then she leaned in and kissed Aria’s head, “You aren’t a baby. You are a big girl. You are ten now. Tell me what is making you believe you aren’t the same as everyone else?”
Aria looked up at her mom, “I’m not like the kids. I’m slow. Not walking by myself. Talking. Learning. I don’t know things. I can’t figure it out.”
Her mom smiled slightly, “You just need some more time. I can help you if you need it. So can dad. So can Bo. You know he can help.”
Aria smiled a little, “What about Jet? Do you think Farren could help?”
Her mom smiled, “I’m absolutely certain she would help.”
