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1018 OCTOBER
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live exceptional lives was encouraging when she arrived with a walker.
gretchen
has taught
megan
to never be ashamed of her scars, because her scars make her unique and help tell her story. ?i tell her to show them off and be proud because without them, you wouldn?t be here. you don?t cover them up because they are a badge of honor,?
gretchen
shares.
megan
teaches everyone around her to love more and judge less because she leads by example. with a heart of gold and the need to take others under her wing,
megan
always shows
people
how to be inclusive and caring. ?no one is born perfect, and that?s what i tell her,? says
gretchen
. ?you can?t judge a book by its cover, so you have to get to know
people
and take care of them.? and,
megan
has taught
people
a lot more than just to care. she has become an inspiration to those around her, and
gretchen
believes
megan
?s purpose in life is to inspire others through her journey. ?
people
see what she has gone through and realize that this little girl has gone through more than what several
people
will go through in a lifetime,? says
gretchen
. ?it puts things in perspective.?
megan
is such an incredible role model that even the marines have noticed. she will be named an honorary marine at school this year to recognize what she has gone through and her strength throughout her surgeries and countless doctor visits.
megan
?s parents and brothers watch from the sideline, cheering her on as she shows everyone around her the true meaning of living life to the fullest. ?there?s a plan for her, and i can?t wait to see what she does in life,?
gretchen
says. ?she has taught us to never give up, and i have learned a lot about trusting, letting go, and having faith.? ? personality keep her dreaming big and never giving up.
gretchen
shares that when
megan
finished hip surgery and was in a full body cast, she taught herself to flip over and army crawl through the house. her mom wasn?t surprised to find her daughter crawling across the kitchen floor, because
megan
has been dancing to the beat of her own drum since day one. ?when she went into heart failure as a baby, they needed to put an iv in her, and they couldn?t get it in anywhere except her forehead,? says
gretchen
. ?she screamed the whole way as they transported her to another hospital. when she got there, she reached up, ripped out the iv, and smiled.?
megan
?s classmates, family, and friends have always provided a loving support system for her, especially since she often has to miss school for surgeries.
gretchen
recalls
megan
meeting her kindergarten class through video, because she had just finished major hip reconstruction. the kids all wanted to sign her cast, and everyone i mprovise, adapt, and overcome. this is the motto the soniats have lived by ever since now eight-year-old
megan
was born.
megan
came into this world ?like a wrecking ball,? as she and her parents joke, with a congenital heart defect, spinal defects, a club foot, a polydactyl toe, hypoplasia, and congenital hip dysplasia, which means she was born with a missing hip socket.
gretchen
soniat,
megan
?s mother, shares that there is no explanation for why
megan
was born this way. ?she won the genetic lottery,? she adds. ?she does have a chromosomal deletion that could be the reason, but there is no name. i can?t put a label on it?it?s just
megan
.? although
megan
has had multiple surgeries, her resilient and positive by madeline rathle the power of positivity photo credit: alisha hudman photography 3 4 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | o c t o b e r 2 0 1 8
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