Born in the 1950's, her mother knew early on that something was not right about her baby girl. Valerie did not reach the milestones most babies do during their first year. Thus when the second set of doctors confirmed that she had cerebral palsy, it was not a complete shock. As a young child, Valerie was loved dearly by her two older siblings, and always encouraged to try a little bit harder by her maternal grandmother. Between birth and six years of age her mother was her main source of comfort, security, and love. However, her father was an entirely different story. He had a very short...