Michael was not normal to me right from his day of birth. He was crying all the time and would not be pacified. I stayed in the hospital for the week and then started taking him to doctors from then till he was near 4 months before he was diagnosed correctly. They tried all the medications for epilepsy previous to 4 months because I was telling them of the turns he was taking and they had not witnessed them. Michael is 23 years of age in March 1999 so there was no information available when Michael was first diagnosed.

Michael was a vegetable still at about 9 months of age. He could not roll over or hold a rattle or a bottle. He did not seem to recognize me as his mother before this time. He became very bloated from the steroid treatment.

We nicknamed him Buddha, but I got worried it might stick so I insisted we get back to calling him Michael. He never had increased hair growth because his father is Chinese and the males from my Australian heritage are not hairy men. I noticed the growth of his trunk and broader shoulders were faster than the length of his arms and legs but this was only for a few months and quickly became proportional. It wasn't very noticeable except to a mother. I just mention it because it may distress you when they change from steroids but it is not necessary to worry as it quickly disappears without any lasting side effects.

Michael spent a lot of time crying and had many fits before and for a little while after diagnosis. He rarely slept just a five minute doze here and there for the first year so I took naps while breast feeding I believe Michael was overfed sometimes. The second year he seemed to be disturbed more at night from about 10:00pm onwards.

With his teething - 4 teeth came through in the top overnight after a night of nausea and high temperature and then 1 week later the same thing again for the 4 bottom teeth. After 10 months, if I placed a spoon of food in his mouth, he would be still crying to be fed and I would have to move the spoon around in his mouth for him to realize that it was there. He would then clamp his jaw shut and I could not get the spoon back. It was a real trial. He never really comprehended that you were getting him a bottle or his food even up to 2 years even if he was watching you get it. He loved his bath but did not understand you asking did he want a bath or anything else until after two years.

The change in Michael, at around 2 years when he became good with his comprehension, was overnight. After he came normal he somehow went along with whatever was going on without getting upset just giving a puzzled look like he didn't know what was going on. It was if he was finally tuned in to us and although he had no knowledge every day he learnt so much he caught up in the next 12 months to understand everything he should know for his age.

Children in our families walk at 9 months Michael didn't walk until after 12 months. He never crawled or sat up as a baby. After 10 months of age he pulled himself up and stood very strongly hanging on. Upper body strength was very strong and he would throw himself out of his cot after 12 months by swinging up over the rail so I had to push beds around his cot for a safe landing space. Michael was about 3 years old before he lost his abnormal strength. I had always worked his muscles daily from baby stage because I did not want his muscles to atrophy.

Michael did not take his first step and fall down but walked across the room, very steadily at that, until he reached the wall where he came to a halt. Next day he walked around backward watching his feet. The mechanics of his body came good after 12 months but it took just over 2 years to get the comprehension working. Then he could start learning. I knew he didn't understand anything nor were any messages getting through, so I did not waste time worrying about this. I just worked on bodily health and strength and vitamin therapies designed to stimulate the different glands.

After he learnt to walk, when he was about 14 months, he came out one day swinging my special bonsai tree around over his head the pot flew off and there was dirt everywhere. I was so happy--as only a mother who had a child that couldn't previously do anything could be. It didn't matter what he did, I was so happy about it.

Michael did not feed himself properly until he was 2. He was a good eater. He didn't eat meat by his own choice but loved fruit and vegetables. He did not like eating anything messy as I guess I had always fed him he hadn't had the joy of playing in his food hence he did not like chocolate because it would melt on his hand or ice-cream which would drip or lollies which would be sticky. What an odd child that didn't like the sweets children usually go for, people would think when they met him after 2 years of age because by then they would be unaware that he had ever been sick. I believe Michael probably should have been a left-handed child but as I had to do things for him I made him right handed. His writing had a difficult looking scrawl for some years reminiscent of someone who has had to change hands.

Michael's first words were 'no' and 'more' spoken after he became well (2years 2 weeks).

Michael had no comprehension until this time to learn anything. He was like a newborn when he became normal except he had a body that could move around. It was a dangerous time for him, as he knew no fear. He had never learnt the way babies do, slowly from trial and error and within their bodies' capabilities. Michael did handstands onto the stove at just 2 years and turned the stove on. I was right behind him luckily. I could not let him out of my sight. He opened the child proof cupboard shortly after he became normal by laying his arms across the connecting catches and leaning on them while opening the third catch with his spare hand. Something his older brother had not come up with.

He loved to climb and as he had never taken any tumbles as babies can while learning to crawl, sit and walk, he had no fears which was unfortunate. He did not understand hot or cold or what was dangerous so you can see why 'no' was a first word and 'more' because he loved his food.

Just after Michael learnt to speak, I took him to 'Lone Pine Sanctuary' (mostly koalas and kangaroos, emus etc.) and was approached by tourists asking if they could video film my son, as he was sitting between the front legs of a large kangaroo with a bag of corn in one of his hands, only holding one piece of corn to the kangaroo's mouth at a time saying "more… more".

Michael was never spoken to with baby talk and he has an older brother to listen to. As I brought my children up alone I have devoted all my time to them. When Michael was well and about 2½ years I started 2 playgroups and attended a 3^rd playgroup so the children had a lot of contact with children as an extended family. These are the same children they went to preschool with and to grade 1 and 2, which was an advantage for them both. Previous to this, while Michael was unwell, I did not have the time or inclination for anyone else but my children, so it was good for me to start the playgroups to mix with other mothers. I admit to being a total zombie for the first year of Michael's life, it was a defense mechanism to all the people who just knew what I should be doing and wanting to give what I knew was well meaning but useless advice. Parents sometimes have to go with their feelings, as they do know when something is wrong with their own child.

Michael completed Year 12 High School and went to TAFE College for computing studies and he is a gifted musician, playing saxophone, piano and is learning guitar presently. He is also learning the Chinese language. He drives his car. He is completely cured and there is no danger of him ever having a fit.

Michael today weighs 60 kilos = 132 pounds

His height is 175cm = 5 feet 9 inches

His father and I are both shorter than this and a kilo or so heavier.

Robert, Michael's brother is an inch taller and a few pounds less in weight.

Michael was thrown from a merry-go-round onto a cement floor sliding into a brick wall at three years of age. I thought he would die but he only suffered damage to his hearing. He can hear without a hearing aid (but he did wear one while he went to school) the decibels are down in both ears one more than the other is. The head teacher at Michael's school one-day was talking about disabled children and asked Michael to give a speech to the class about his handicap.

Michael said, "Yes Sir, but what is my handicap?"

Don't measure your children's milestones with other healthy children. It is not helpful and they will catch up sooner or later so why put yourself through it.