Throw back Friday...

I came across this in a file on my old computer when I was cleaning it up the other day. It made my heart ache a little, and made me smile too. Taken in 2010 it shows Elin with her little buddy, Harvey. Harvey was the first child I ever met with Cerebral Palsy, or severe disability of any kind actually. Elin wasn't even one year old when the hospital first put me in touch with his Mum. They lived close by and we thought it was a good idea to speak to someone who had first hand experience of what we were going through (Harvey was just a year older than Elin). I remember I fell in love with Harvey and his lopsided smile and big eyes instantly and how suddenly everything didn't seem so scary. He was the youngest of four children, his house was busy, noisy and full of life. Nobody apologised for him, or felt sorry for him, he was simply the nucleus of the home and the love there and his happiness was tangible. I became a friend to his Mum and of course Elin enjoyed spending time with a handsome young fella! It was amazing to talk to someone who had been through it all already, could advise and understand.  I will never forget what meeting Harvey, and spending time with him and his family, did for us in those first couple of years. We were also delighted to discover that when Elin started school, she would be travelling on Harvey's bus. It felt right, their friendship was cemented and they would go through their very special school together.  However, at the start of 2011 and right before Elin joined school permanently after her induction, Harvey unexpectedly passed away at home in his sleep. I still remember the grey January Monday afternoon that I got the phone call, refusing to believe it was true but knowing it had to be. The instantaneous grief took my breath away, and my legs from under me. Since that day beautiful Harvey has remained very much in our thoughts, never far away. Once you had met him, it would be impossible to forget him. He radiated joy. We never will forget you Harvey and what you meant to our family and how you played a part in our acceptance of what our life was to become. Beautiful, gorgeous boy, forever three years old, forever an inspiration to us all.