Sarah Godber

My Dad served in the Air Force for 20 years.

He was stationed in Germany with my mom

and my brother, Chris where I was

born prematurely. At 25 weeks, there were

complications during my mom’s pregnancy and

she was rushed to the hospital in

Bonn, Germany. Three weeks later at 28 weeks

on September 15, 1990, they had to perform

an emergency c-section for me and my

twin sister, Leah.

 

I weighed 1 lb. 12 oz. and my sister, Leah

weighed 1 lb. She didn’t survive. Doctors kept

telling my family, don’t get your hopes up,

I would not survive, but God had other plans!

They prayed for a miracle and believed that

I would live! I was in the NICU for almost

4 months where I had heart and eye surgeries

before I came home. When I came home from

the hospital 4 months later, I was on a heart

monitor until I was over a year old which went

off constantly in the night when I would stretch,

frightening my parents. During my

developmental years, my parents noticed I

wasn’t crawling or walking on schedule. Around

the age of two, I was diagnosed with

cerebral palsy and also a quadriplegic

(all four limbs are involved). Doctors told my

parents that I would never walk or talk! I’m one

of the few quadriplegics that can walk.

 

We were transferred back to the U.S. along

with base of choice for medical treatment. My

parents chose to come back to Tyndall AFB

where they had met and had family support.

I had years of physical therapy. I use a walker

for short distances and a wheelchair for long

distances.

 

Though having a physical disability is more

difficult than most can imagine, through it all

God has been there and brought us through

each chapter to get me to where I am today.