Nick - Victorious

November 20, 2010
It’s my son Nick’s 15th birthday and as a mom I can’t help being sentimental. I think of all he has overcome - this victorious little conqueror - and I get choked-up realizing the significance of his name. Nicholas means victorious. How interesting that he was so appropriately named.

Nick was in a big hurry to make his entrance into the world. He was born five days before his due date and surprised us with a rather speedy labor and delivery experience. Born during Monday Night Football, he came to love the game that was playing on the TV set as he entered the world. He was endowed with a figurative rock star for an older brother, a charismatic soul who shines brightly in the limelight. For some kids this might have proven difficult but Nick just seemed to enjoy being Jon’s biggest fan, happy to be included in his life.

Before Nick had even turned a year old I knew that this was a child who was blessed with incredible perseverance. I could tell by the way he played with things that he was patient and focused and wouldn’t give up. This determination and resolve was to become a huge blessing in his life.

In spite of having a strong I.Q., Nick had a hard time learning to read. He was given a label by the school psychologist, which I have never uttered in front of him because I didn’t want him to label himself. I’m glad I didn’t. He overcame that issue and now scores a very high 4 out of 5 on the Florida proficiency exam in reading.

At the end of 4th grade Nick’s sensitive stomach issues developed into debilitating intestinal problems. He could never be too far from a restroom and as a result, he missed out on school field trips, church camping trips, and had to be home schooled for a year. He also had hypoglycemia and a proclivity for heat exhaustion. In the midst of all of this he broke his wrist and had a horrendous case of the stomach flu, ending up in the hospital twice on a vacation in Colorado. Because of the broken wrist he had to give up the thing he loved most at the time, which was skateboarding. He understandably got a little depressed and became a couch potato. As a result he became a bit chubby. He was anxious about going back to public school when he was well enough to return - so anxious he vomited from nervousness on his first day back. As a mother, this was excruciating.

But here is the good news. After being told by an M.D. that he would basically be sick for the rest of his life, Nick willingly and without complaint went to several alternative health doctors and as a result is totally healthy today. On his own, he lost all of the excess weight he gained. After that, he joined the high school football team and endured getting up at 6:30 a.m. all summer long to run the track and workout with the other football players. The training in the Florida heat was grueling but he almost seemed to revel in it, basking in his own stamina. I was in disbelief that the child who at one time so easily succumbed to heat exhaustion could do this. There’s no more anxiety, he does well in school and has an active social life.

Nick is resourceful and hardworking. I’ve had two of his teachers actually tear-up when they talked about him with me because they were so impressed with his enthusiasm and his ability to figure out ways to do things. One called him “a teacher’s dream student.”

Here’s an example of Nick’s resourcefulness: recently he went to his friend Tyler’s house and discovered that Tyler’s Xbox wasn’t working. After looking over the Xbox, Dr. Nick diagnosed the ailment, went on youtube, and found a tutorial about how to fix the problem. It was no simple thing. He had to take the Xbox apart, scrape something that had melted onto the motherboard off, go to Radio Shack, buy the necessary parts, do some other stuff to it and put it all back together. The Xbox is fixed and is still working today. Both Tyler and his mom are thrilled.

I’m so proud of Nick I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

Nick, my amazing little overcomer, you have earned the name that you bear. Victorious.

I love you.

Happy Birthday!