Alyssa

My name is Alyssa Nicole. I was born in August 1996. My mommy really wanted a little girl since I already have a big brother. His name is Richie and I love him very much. We do fight a lot but that’s OK because most of the time I get my way! I know my Mommy and Daddy were sad when they first saw me because they didn’t know that I was going to be born different. But then again we are all different, right! My Mommy didn’t want to tell my story because she thought I could tell it better. I guess she knows that when I grow up I’ll have to explain to people about me so she’s giving me the opportunity to practice my story.

Well here goes. First of all, I don’t wear any prosthetics, I don’t like them. They make me feel hot and strange. I can do everything by myself. I hold my own cup, I feed myself with my strap that Shriner’s Hospital made for me (sometimes I make a mess) and I even go up and down our stairs. I can scoot on my bottom or crawl. I love to wear mommy’s perfume so that I can smell pretty too. I have a dog named Copper, he’s funny because he likes to lick my face. I should be getting my own wheelchair soon and then, I can ride around on my own.

My mommy found I-CAN through Jan Garrett. When I was a baby my mommy wanted to find people like me. She was given a book called “You’re Not Alone” and saw Jan’s picture in it. She made some calls and was able to get Jan’s number. We’ve never met her … yet. Thank you Jan and I would really like to meet you some day.