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Alison as we knew her - in her natural state

Despite her limitations, Alison was a warm and loving human being in every sense of the word.  She truly loved absolutely unconditionally, and never hated anyone.  She did fear the many nurses who had to draw her blood or give  her shots…but she would just as quickly give them a smile and a hug.

Ali was sight impaired.  We believe that she might actually have been able to see shapes, colors, and lights, because she responded to those stimuli.  Doctors diagnosed her as being “cortically blind”, meaning that the optical nerve and the eye were functional, but her brain couldn’t process the information.  She had a good sense of smell.  For example, she KNEW when she was in the doctor’s office.  Her demeanor completely changed.  She was fearful of what those folks did to her, and when she was frightened she had the strength of a weightlifter.  I remember a time when a nurse needed to draw blood.  At the time, I was in fairly good shape at around 200 lbs.  It took me AND the nurse to hold Alison’s arm out so the nurse could insert the needle.  She did NOT want her blood drawn, and she made it absolutely clear to everyone within earshot.

Alison had relatively good hearing.  She developed a broad range of tastes in music.  Her mother put a small “boombox” at the head of Ali’s bed, and Ali would listen to music for hours on end.  She loved listening to Bolero by Ravel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-4J5j74VPw).  It calmed her often.  As I listen to this piece, it brings tears to my eyes because I can see Alison quietly listening with a look of awe on her face.  Ali also enjoyed Celtic chants similar to this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fab4hhIdjDc&feature=fvw).    On the other end of the musical spectrum, Ali absolutely was crazy for MACARENA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN62PAKoBfE&feature=related).  When Alison heard the first few beats of this song, she would squeal with joy, kick her legs and then would laugh.  If she had been able I am certain she would have been dancing to this lively song.

We tried to provide Alison with toys that would teach her and stimulate her.  She had a yellow ball with various shapes in it, including some bells.  Ali would lay for hours with her fingers entwined in the holes and shake that ball back and forth.  We got her a toy that had various farm animals on it.  When you pushed the horse, for example, it would produce a “neigh” sound.  Alison got hours of enjoyment from that toy.  Sometimes, it didn’t take a toy.  Ali loved to feel and crinkle certain kinds of paper.

Ali’s mother might have a different view, but I believe Alison was a “Daddy’s girl”.  When I would enter the room and speak to her, she would get excited and a huge smile on her face.  Sometimes I would call her “Girlie-Q”, and she seemed to like that name.  Many times, Alison would not go to sleep until I got home.  I would lay her on my chest as I sat in my recliner and she would go to sleep within about ten minutes.  She would chew on my fingers, never hurting me.  Ali seemed to be soothed by my voice.  For example, when she was upset and crying, I could start counting slowly “One.  Two.  Three…” and she would quiet and listen to me.  She also loved the “ABC” (alphabet )song.  Often I could calm her even during a seizure by using those techniques. 

Alison had a magnetic personality.  She charmed almost everyone who met her.  She loved going to church.  When the congregation sang, Ali would giggle and laugh, and everyone around here couldn’t resist doing the same.  Once, at a flea market, a shopowner gave her a porcelain doll because he thought she had such a beautiful smile.

This is woefully inadequate in letting you know this beautiful child.  She left an indelible mark on my life, and the lives of the various members of her immediate and extended family.  Limitations of this site prevent me from sharing the family’s feelings and thoughts in this blog, so I invite you to visit again in several days so that you can read, indeed feel what a positive impact she had on our lives.