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I did not sleep, I barely ate, and every ounce of my attention and energy was devoted to her.
Somewhere in that fray, I learned that my daughter had Down syndrome. After the antics her mother had pulled, I knew that my baby was lucky to even be alive.
To help keep me awake while I cared for her in the hospital, I listened to music, in particular, a song called ‘Zoe-Jane’ performed by the band ‘Staind’.
It’s a song about a man that loves his daughter, and when I looked at my baby girl, I could relate to those lyrics. By the end of that week, she was almost six pounds.
They let me take her home, but CPS returned to put her in a foster home due to the treatment she had endured at her mother’s hands.
I immediately went to court to win my child back, and explained to the judge all that had transpired. It helped to further my case when her mother failed to show.
I was granted custody of my daughter on November 1st of 2007. Soon after I returned to court to sue for full custody, and dissolve her mother of parental rights. While I was there, I also changed my daughter’s name to Zoe-Jane.
Early Childhood Intervention was assigned to Zoe-Jane until she was three.
The physicians told me that she would never walk or talk, and though I believed them, I still took her to rehab and therapy sessions.
I asked others to pray for her success, and in due time, my little Zoe-Jane took her first steps. At four, I enrolled her in school.
Zoe-Jane is now six years old, a proud member of the first grade, special-needs classes, and my pride and joy. Her vocabulary has expanded to include whole phrases. My favorite is, ‘I love you’.
Over the years people have told me how wonderful a father I am, or how proud they are of me for taking such good care of my daughter. I appreciate these sentiments, but in truth – all I was doing was being a dad. Zoe-Jane is my little girl, and as her father, it is my right to protect her from danger. I could not have done it alone, of course. I had a wonderful support network: God, my parents, my grandmother, ECI, and Zoe-Jane’s own teachers. Together we were able to leave the past behind us, and Zoe-Jane has flourished since those precarious moments when she was wired to hospital equipment.
Today, my daughter is a vibrant, bright-eyed child that is eager and ready to take on the world. The fact that she has Down syndrome, and a mother that does not want her – these are just minor setbacks. Me and sweet Zoe-Jane, we’re ready for whatever life throws at us next.