Pray, Try, Repeat
A sense of believing people can overcome hard things and forming genuine connections with people - whether in a competitive arena in front of hundreds of people or posting entries on her blog and Instagram account – are just two things Stefanie says she learned from her son, Brody. She is the first to admit it’s a lesson she would’ve rather learned another way, but is grateful for the insight and positive experiences she had with him during his life and subsequent death, Oct. 28, 2016.
“He moved me,” she said. “With his condition, he couldn’t move physically, but he moved me with love, and he moved me to tears, and he moved me with gratitude, and he moved me with unconditional trust, and he moved me to do hard things – things I didn’t know I could do.”
BRODY’s LIFE
Brody Gillespie was born in the state of Louisiana, December 22, 2015, to Stefanie and Jeremy Gillespie weighing in at 6 pounds, 9.5 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches in length. He was also born with a terminal genetic disorder only documented in 51 cases worldwide – Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia, Type 1 B (PCH1B). This genetic condition results in muscle degeneration, reduced life expectancy and mental limitations.
Photo Credit: Cliff Gull, Photopia Studios