Did you ever stop to thank God for all the things your body allows you to do? Did you ever consider how thin a line there was in your mother's blood chemistry which determined whether you were born "whole" or "normal" or not?

Uncle Rusty is sitting here with tears in his eyes, watching the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon. He worked in a medical complex which included Children's Memorial Hospital, better known as Crippled Children's Hospital. Part of Rusty's ambulance driver duties was to take young patients and their parents "over to kids". You'll see all kinds of medical problems in such a setting.

Rusty was 20 years old when he rolled a car. Ensuing x-rays revealed he had a conjenital abnormality called spina bifida. Until then, everyone he'd heard of having SB was playing wheelchair basketball. Just think how fortunate he was for it to not show or limit his activities.

When our kids were born we were apprehensive because two of their mama's brothers were born with physical abnormalities. The lack of folic acid in their mama's diet was later credited with their problems in the 1940s.

The uncle born with a heart part missing lived about ten years. The other had a spina bifida so much more severe than Rusty's that the spinal fluid was contained in a sack. His mama had to take monthly five or six hour bus trips, each way, to take Grant to that very "Crippled Kids" hospital.

Seeing the MD victims on the telethon, and the progress achieved through research that makes their lives better, brings another overwelling of tears. We are so blessed.