STUDENT SPOTLIGHT :
Amelia Alder
By : Katerina Alkhova
“ Gymnastics today ?” asks my 5 year old daughter . “ No sweetheart , tomorrow . You have a ballet class today ,” I answer with a smile .
Amelia is five and a half . She is a confident , brave and well-rounded individual . She takes horse back riding , swimming , ballet , gymnastics , piano and music lessons . Amelia also loves to read . Oh , and she was born with Down Syndrome . Now , after all the years of various struggles and turmoil , I have almost no problem saying it .
4 | THE BEACON
In August 2008 , my husband brought me and our son to Tulsa from Belarus , a little country in Eastern Europe . When Amelia was born in 2011 and we found out that she had Down Syndrome it split our family . My Husband could not imagine a life with a child who had a disability , and I could not imagine my life without Amelia . He moved to a different state , and we were left to figure out a new life without any family and hardly any friends . I am sure you understand our struggles were infinitely more than anybody would be willing to undergo . I literally thought it was the end of me , but God has created us strong , very strong .
Amelia ’ s path was paved with hardships , all kinds of them really , from being raised without a father to multiple medical and developmental difficulties . She was born with atrial septal defect , a heart condition . We were told it might improve on its own or it may need surgery . Every four months we had to visit Saint Francis Children ’ s Hospital to see a cardiologist , and every time my heart would freeze with fear as I waited for the news . Will the hole in the wall that separates Amelia ’ s heart chambers