Today was a very special day. We were invited to join the Marshall family in celebrating the very important first birthday milestone of their darling little boy, Micah. Micah has SMA Type I also. He and Gwendolyn have been Internet buddies for six months, following his diagnosis at Cottage hospital, but this was the first time we all met. It did not feel as if we were meeting for the first time, however, because we follow each others blogs, email tips and tricks, and lend support on this relatively rare SMA path. The Marshalls were unbelievably thoughtful in including Gwendolyn in the celebration. The first thing they did when we arrived was present Gwendolyn with Abby — a Sesame Street fairy Muppet with bright purple hair! Gwendolyn immediately knew exactly what she had just been given and grinned in full approval. In addition to Micah's gorgeous first birthday cake, they made a beautiful one for Gwendolyn, too, with a “Happy 20 month Birthday Gwendolyn” placard. I had to fight the tears on that because I was so stunned that they did this. They also generously asked their guests to donate to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation in lieu of gifts! The highlight of the day was seeing Gwendolyn and Micah together. He couldn't take his eyes off her and she kept doing her head turns and sly grins at him. Serious flirting! Their entire family and friend group were so welcoming and supportive that we left feeling as if we were leaving old friends. Thank you Chelsea and Don for a wonderful day and happy, happy special birthday darling Micah!
