My name is Ryan Evan Sherman and I am nine days old today. I figure now is the time to share the story of my life with you considering I really don’t know how long I will be here on this path. I believe I was sent here for a reason and while my daddy and mommy may be struggling with understanding this reason – deep down inside they really are my strength.
Sure – I am nine days old – What do I know, right? You’d be amazed. I began as a group of cells in my mommy’s tummy last May, but those cells formed my life. I know how I got there in her tummy, as I am sure all of you know as well, but I don’t know if you know this. My daddy and mommy share the purest kind of love there is – unselfish and unpolluted. They created me in that purity let me grow in it, and have blanketed me in it since I was born on January 6, 2002.
The path I have traveled thus far has consisted of so much more than just nine days. From the moment I was created I had a purpose. My parents suspected I was lingering in mommy’s tummy in early June when I caused some unintentional morning sickness (mommy decided to take a swig of diet coke a little too early one morning). She made an appointment with Dr. David Magelssen, her OB/GYN, who confirmed her suspicions. The doctor was able to introduce me to my mom via an ultrasound machine and I remember the tears welled in her eyes when she saw my little heart beating on the sonogram machine.
Daddy was unable to go to the first appointment, so mommy took the picture of me back to him that afternoon and he made a photocopy for his cubicle at work. The summer months seemed to pass fairly quickly and I did nothing but grow – the only way I knew how. Daddy and mommy did nothing but love me unconditionally and that was proven when they went to see Dr. Arthur Maslow for the 20 week ultrasound in August. This was the first time I had met my daddy and I felt like I was looking in the mirror. I looked just like my dad, but they didn’t know that just yet.
Dr. Maslow showed me to them in detail – my feet, my head, my heart. All the vital pieces seemed to be there, or so he thought. Dr. Maslow described my features to them. He stopped at my head first and his low voice paused as he grew suddenly quiet all in the same breath. He began to measure what looked like a black hole and then made eye contact with my mommy and daddy. He told them that these pockets were prominent and that he would have to watch them to make sure they didn’t grow any larger. He feared the pockets to be what’s known as hydrocephalous – or water on the brain.
Dr. Maslow continued to the heart, where he turned the screen to differentiate between the red blood and the blue blood. It pumped rhythmically to my mommy’s heartbeat and Dr. Maslow said that at the next visit he would check the heart again to make sure it didn’t become enlarged. At the present time it appeared to be normal. Then he came to my midsection. Daddy and mommy feverishly wanted to know my sex, but unfortunately I was taking somewhat of a nap and had my legs crossed.