Looking Back: Perspective

For me the purpose of this this exercise is to find something in the photographs that explains, expands, or makes clear an idea or event. In looking at this elusive “something” the hope is for better understanding of the events surrounding the photographs and perhaps finding a purpose for those events in a larger scheme. I do not know of any of this “purpose finding” will happen for me, yet I hope that anyone reading this and struggling with the same issues would find solace in the idea that they are not or were not alone.
Today I have 2 photos:



Photo 1:
Photo one is Angela in my lap at the hospital after she was born. There is fear and exhaustion in my face. I am so young and have not a clue what to expect next. At the time Angela was born my life was in front of me and would be determined and shaped by her in ways that I have yet to understand, My education at SSU and later my Masters at SFSU were a result of paths that she showed me. My Masters at SFU in Instructional Technologies is a direct result working to find ways to help Angela learn. When we first got a computer for Angela (a Mac LC) I found that the programs were not sited to her needs and learned to adapt them. Later my ability to repurpose technology and re-program brought to the Instructional Technology Program at SFSU. It was my cousin that said, “You can a masters in Education Technology in 30 units and you are great with commuters”. Later my Cousin and I would graduate SFSU with Masters in Education on the same day.
When Angela was born we were living in Oakland on Grand. Francine and I were young and barely working. When Angela was born the doctors knew that something was wrong and placed her between the Pediatric Nursery and the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN). On the third day of her life we went to the nursery and found that she had been moved to the ICN. Angela had hade a hemorrhage and started having seizers. The seizers were lessoned with drugs but not stopping. When this picture was taken we knew only that things had changed and that Angela was in trouble. Francine’s parents were making funeral arrangements, yet we did not know this till years later.
Someone else in the ICN took this picture. They told us that we should have a picture while we had a chance. I had no idea what they were talking about.




Photo 2:
This is Angela and I on the Boat to San Francisco. She is happy and smiling and in some ways this is the end of a 30-year (and continuing) journey. For now I include this photo for perspective. Looking back on the journey I did not know where it would lead or what would happen. This journey brought me many things not the least of these is the joys of being a parent despite the challenges of raising a Daughter with special needs. Yet, now that I have adopted 2 more children without “special” needs I see that the Joy in Angela was not unlike any other parental experience.
Angela remains happy and is living in an assistive living home where she has a life that his hers and hers alone. I always thought that she would live with us at home for all our life. What I have learned in all this is that to be happy I need to accept the unexpected and take joy in the unpredicted.
David

Location:Oakland

Welcome

This is Angela and Francine when we brought Angela home from the hospital. People have asked me many times how we managed to raise her, stay together, have some moderate success, and generally have a life. In this blog I hope to tell that story from the perspective of the photographs that I have taken and someday hope to take.









Before I begin this a word on Angela. Angela is my daughter and was born with some special needs. These needs have helped to define me but do not define her, this will become clear in future postings.





Well enough for now! Hope that all of you are well and stay well.

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Location:Home