Liam was born on January 27th, 2013, arriving 4 weeks early. Liam was born with hydrocephalus which means water on the brain. His specific diagnosis is L1CAM. It affects him physically and mentally. He underwent brain surgery and had a shunt placed at just 3 days old and spent 10 days in the NICU. The type of Hydrocephalus Liam has is genetic. Mom is a carrier of the gene which means there is a 50/50 chance a boy will be affected or a 50/50 chance a girl will be a carrier. Liam’s diagnosis was confirmed at the 20-week ultrasound where the doctor saw enlarged ventricles and adducted thumbs. He was the 8th boy in the family following moms brother Joel and cousins. Liam is the oldest of 3. He has a younger sister Eva and a younger brother Vinny. He takes his role of big brother very seriously.
Liam is our social butterfly. I always say for being nonverbal he is the most vocal kid I have ever met. He will greet anyone he encounters, usually with a hug. He can turn any bad day into a good one. Life isn’t always easy for Liam, but he finds the best in every day. Between countless surgeries and setbacks, he finds the strength and determination to accomplish anything he puts his mind to.
Liam enjoys playing golf with Coach Brandon at Upstate Carolina Adaptive Golf. He has been part of the organization for over 2 years now and has made great strides. He also LOVES Mickey Mouse. We have created a space for Liam in our home and it is a place where he spends majority of his time watching Mickey and playing with his toys. He loves steering wheels or anything he can spin. Liam is also a runway model. He will be participating in his 5th fashion show next week. He owns the stage with his big smile while waving and blowing kisses. It really puts him right in his element.
Liam is a big thrill seeker. We found this out when we took our first trip to Disney back in 2018 right before he was scheduled for double hip surgery. We rode every roller coaster we could, and Liam squealed with excitement the entire time. Earlier this year we learned Liam was granted a wish trip through the Sunshine Foundation to Disney World. We will spend a whole week this time in Disney visiting all the parks and we leave in just a couple weeks. All the kids are so excited. I know Liam will be most excited to see Mickey and ride those roller coasters again. Nana and Da get to come with us too which makes it extra special.
In 2020 Liam graduated from the Meyer Center. He enrolled at just 9 months old, and it was all we ever knew. They were part of our family. I owe a lot to them for all the successes Liam had early on in life. He would not be the kid we know and love today without all the love, support, and guidance they poured into him. He is currently in 3rd Grade at Skyland Elementary.
As parents our goal is to help Liam in his life with anything we can. He has learned so much in such a short amount of time. What we didn’t realize was how much Liam was going to teach us. Liam has perseverance to succeed beyond what we could have taught him. His understanding of almost any situation continues to be a real revelation to us. But ultimately its his unconditional love that radiates to everyone he meets that constantly remind us “If the world had a lot more Liam’s what a wonderful world this would be.”
“Don’t be fooled by a blemished exterior. You don’t have to talk to convey the message. You don’t have to walk to travel the distance. A spirit blessed by God speaks from within, it knows no boundaries. Even the deformities of the body cannot imprison it” -Joanne Pasienza (Liam’s Nana)
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