Gifted Hands (based on a true story) stars Cuba Gooding Junior as a talented neurosurgeon at John Hopkins. At the very beginning Gooding is asked to meet and assess Siamese twins who are connected at the head, and thus share part of a brain. He agrees to perform surgery, but doesn't set a date because he has to figure out how to separate the boys without them bleeding to death. In the mean time, the movie flashes back to Gooding's childhood and shows him in about the 4th grade. The teacher is having all the students tell her their scores on a math test and Gooding has to announce he didn't get any right. Of course his classmates make fun of him and tease him about being so dumb. Gooding responds by punching one of the boys bullying him. The boy has a lot against him: he's a black student in a primarily white school in the 1960's, his father isn't part of his life, and he struggles with school. All of these don't compare to the one very good thing Gooding has going for him though -- his mother. Gooding's mother is simply amazing (the kind of mama I hope to be). Despite struggling with depression herself, she always encourages her boys, "You can do anything anybody else can do, only you can do it better." She tells them to use their imagination, that they have the whole world inside of them, that they are smart, talented, gifted. Not only does she encourage her sons, she challenges them and sets high standards for them. After coming home from her cleaning job one afternoon, she shuts off the television and informs the boys that they will only be allowed to watch 2 shows each week. Since the boys will have so much spare time, she explains they will be reading 2 books every week and writing a report about them. Thus begins Gooding's love for learning. One of the shows the boys chose to watch was a trivia game show, which only inspired them to expand their interests to include music and art. As Gooding grows up, he excels in school. That transformation in and of itself was enough inspiration, but the movie had even more to offer!
Not only did Gooding's character overcome academic challenges, he also learned how to handle his fiery temperament that had gotten him into trouble. And while his mother also played a huge role in this change, God is the one who gets the credit for helping Gooding transform into a mature man who responds to even the most difficult of situations with profound patience and grace. Gooding's faith plays an integral role in the film, as he prays before every operation and surrenders not only his patients but his family to the Lord.
I don't want to give away the entire movie...but I do have to share one other thing that really hit me as I watched the film. In addition to the Siamese twins that Gooding eventually operates on, he performs surgery on a 4 year old little girl who has over 100 seizures a day due to a complication in her brain. Seeing this little girl and the twin boys made me so very thankful for Coralyn's health. Yeah, I might have been sick to my stomach for my entire pregnancy, but I didn't have any complications in the delivery. Coralyn was born whole and complete, all her organs functioning correctly, all her limbs fully formed, everything "just right." She can see, hear, smell; she can communicate; she can grab things; she can walk; she can feed herself; she can show emotion. I could go on and on. I just take her health for granted, but I shouldn't. God has blessed us. I know that every single child who is born is created in His image and is perfect in His eyes, carefully crafted and designed in the womb just the way He wants. Even if a child has a physical or mental handicap in the eyes of man, God sees the child as perfect. I know that, but I am still thankful that Coralyn doesn't have any "problems." I think about our future children and all the "what ifs" and get scared that something could be "wrong." I let fear and worry control my thoughts. I try to imagine what being a mama would be like then, but I just can't even begin to fathom all the emotions that would be surging inside me.
I think my heart was already tender after a movie we watched on Father's Day with my parents. Extraordinary Measures. It was about a family with 3 children, 2 of whom have a life-threatening disease called Pompe. The disease affects their muscles and organs, making moving and even breathing more and more difficult as the child grows. In fact, life expectancy for someone with Pompe is only 9 years. So, I think the idea of having a child with some kind of "complications" was already fresh in my mind. Watching Gifted Hands only made me think about all the "what ifs" even more. But both movies also made me all the more thankful for my baby girl and her excellent health. It's as if God keeps reminding me to take nothing for granted, to make the most of the "little things" that seem so "normal." Like Coralyn's smile and giggle, her reaching for my hand so she can walk where she wants to go, and yes, even her cries in the middle of the night.
I pray that I never have to face the challenges any of the parents did in either of these movies, but I know that if I do, God will give me the strength and courage I will so desperately need.
But for now, I don't have to think about any of that. All I need to do is focus on today, thanking God for Coralyn's health and enjoying the precious little girl that He has given me.
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