(Editor's note: The following was written by the mother of Coweta County student-athlete Montana Bush in November 2011. Montana Bush was recently named Female Athlete of the Year by Special Olympics of Georgia.)
We named her Montana after the state where we had enjoyed so many fantastic outdoor adventures.
Montana was our first child and we, like all new parents, looked forward to the many joys of our first baby and expanding family. This joy soon became shock, helplessness and a deep fear of the unknown.
Montana was only 8 weeks old when we were told that she had a heart murmur. We were told not to worry about it yet as it may repair itself. At 16 weeks old the murmur was still there and further testing determined that she had three holes in her heart. Open heart surgery would have to take place to correct the problem. The doctors suggested that we wait until she was six months old to allow her to gain weight and get stronger. I thought this would be the biggest challenge Montana and I would ever have to face but little did I know what was yet to come.
Montana did well through the surgery and by 9 months old she looked like most other children. It wasn't until around 15-18 months that she changed and the change was almost over night. I sought out a doctor after speaking to a friend in the "Babies Can't Wait" program who described autism. At that time I had never even heard of autism. Life did not seem fair that Montana would make it through the hurdle of a heart murmur and surgery as an infant only to be hit so quickly with another hurdle as large and seemingly insurmountable as autism.
It took eight more months to even see the doctor who specialized in autism. This expert doctor only advised me to give up on Montana. He suggested she was destined to a life of low functioning abilities, and it may be best to consider placing her in a "home" specializing in autistic children. With a broken heart and crushed sprit, and after crying and praying for untold hours, a deep and peaceful calm came over me. God allowed me to know that everything was going to be alright. He gave me the strength not to give up on Montana but to teach her and push her in a way that only a mother with a deep belief and trust in God can do.
We had many ups and downs along the way. Tana, as I came to call her, went from the limited vocabulary of "Mama, Dada and bye-bye" to no speech at all. For many months she said nothing and only made grunting noises and pointed to communicate. Deeply discouraged and exhausted with the daily requirements of raising an autistic child, God presented me with His Plan one day.
I was serving chocolate ice cream to Tana's dad one day when she grunted her desire for some. I simply but firmly told her she had to say 'ice cream' to get some. She refused with an angry no-grunt. I was determined that with God's strength I would not let her have any until she said the words I so deeply needed to hear. Tana made many angry grunts and animated gestures, screamed and shouted, but refused to speak. It was absolutely the most painful experience I had ever endured. After me eating almost the entire large bowl of chocolate ice cream asking her at every spoonful to say 'ice cream' she finally screamed "I want ice cream." By the way, I don't even like ice cream, but it is still one of her favorite desserts and she asks for it often. It is not uncommon even today for me to shed a tear of happiness while I happily make her a big bowl.
Tana and I have shed more tears of happiness and sadness in our lives since that bowl of ice cream. Tana gained a younger brother in 1998 but tragically lost her father in a car accident in 2002. I have since remarried to a man who has two children of his own. We are a happy family of six people and two dogs now with all of the challenges of everyday life. Today Tana continues to make tremendous progress in all aspects of life. She is what we have come to know is called a high-functioning autistic person. She is 16 years old and attends 10th grade in a public school system where she has many friends who help her in her day-to-day life.
In 2011 Tana came in second runner-up in the Benefit Pageant at her school naming Coweta County as her local charity. Tana has been very involved in Special Olympics for several years and participates in local and state level games and has brought home several medals. She likes the feeling of being accepted as an athlete and is willing to give her best at what ever task is ask of her.
Tana is always willing to cheer her teammates on and has also learned to accept discipline instead of acting out or screaming when things are not going to her liking. Tana and I are proud of the accomplishments and the courage Tana has displayed in life. We thank Coweta County Special Olympics for giving this opportunity to Tana.
We don't know what the future holds for our Tana any more than any other parent does. But we absolutely know that through God all things are possible. Never but never, regardless of their accreditations and degrees, let anyone take your hopes and dreams away. You know your child better that anyone. Be strong for them, stand up for them, speak for them, walk for them, teach them, but most of all love them as the precious gifts from God that they are.
God please bless each and everyone who reads this.
Tana's Mom - Teresa Bush
November 2011
