I lost my parents in a car accident when I was four \u2014 and the accident left me unable to walk.<\/p>\n
My uncle Ray took me in and became my entire world. He had no experience raising a child with disabilities, but he learned everything himself \u2014 building ramps, fighting insurance companies, braiding my hair badly, and reminding me every day:\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re not less.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He filled my life with love and small adventures that made me feel strong.<\/p>\n Years later, his health failed. The night before he died, he held my hand and told me, \u201cYou\u2019re gonna live, kiddo.\u201d The next morning, he was gone.<\/p>\n After his funeral, I received a letter he had left behind \u2014 a confession about the night of the crash and the regrets he carried his whole life. Everything he did for me, he said, was his way of making things right.<\/p>\n A month later, I started rehab.<\/p>\n Last week, for the first time since I was four, I stood on my own legs.<\/p>\n Some days I forgive him. Some days I don\u2019t. But he spent his life proving that love is shown through actions \u2014 and now the rest of the journey is mine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"