DEFYING THE ODDS

I came out screaming! I wasn't supposed to live for my 1st birthday

My name is Sheree. Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita or AMC, is a rare physical disability that I was born with. This disability is rare because, only 1 in 17,000 babies in Australia, are born with it. The way I can describe it: my shoulders only have slight movement, my elbows and knees have weak muscle tissue and my joints are stiff, so they both only bend a little. Doctors told my parents that I wouldn't survive birth and my mum had the choice of going full-term and giving birth to a still-born baby, or take pot luck. I came out screaming! I wasn't supposed to live for my 1st birthday. When I survived that, I was told I wouldn’t be able walk independently.

I have continued to prove people wrong with their ''predictions''

At 5 years old, I started walking on my own because my family never gave up. I have continued to prove people wrong with their ''predictions'' and defied the odds of becoming a mother. 3 years ago, I moved out with my husband Chris and just recently gave birth to our beautiful baby Hayden. Although you may think, me looking after a baby sounds challenging (which it can be), I enjoy him cuddling up to me, we do tummy time together and we go for walks in the pram. My husband does an amazing job of looking after both of us, sometimes at the same time (haha). The only thing that is hard right now, is not having a car. Looking after our baby is nothing compared to trying to manage a fundraiser and raise money for a car. Without a car, I cannot get around as easy, because my body can't handle walking in the cold weather (it's winter here in Australia).