 Ella and her sister Chelsea.  | Comments on Love Ella"A truly inspiring and emotional real life look at unconditional love in action. This book makes one re-think what really are the important qualities in today's ever changing and racing world." I found this book unforgettably moving but wonderfully instructive. The high wire demands placed on this family then the safety net of God's grace beneath are all there in all their power. I am overwhelmed by all that has been, is and will be part of your lived story and I am deeply, deeply grateful for this amazing gift you have given me (and others) by writing this.
It is the most beautiful story of love and commitment and hardship and all its complexities. The power of writing about your life like this is the insight it gives to people like me - I can never really know what it is like but today I feel I have been
invited to look through your window and know and hopefully understand
much more than I did before. |
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Love Ella is a candid, profoundly moving account of a special girl.
Reading it challenges our own attitudes to those with special needs and
what we find attractive in this world. The book is also about trust and hope.
A trust that in all situations there is a God who is in control. A hope that there will be a day when Ella will have a perfected body based
on Christ's promise. I heard you several weeks ago speaking to Alan Jones and was so moved I had to pull over my car and stop driving. I have just read your article in the Women's Weekly and wanted to let you know how special you are.
I have two children who are not challenged like Ella so I cannot begin to imagine what daily life for you and your family must be like. All I can relate to is the over powering love that I feel for my children and the anxiety that I have for their futures.This is with the knowledge that they are equipped to deal with the challenges that they will face in life.
Through these very special people we learn compassion, unconditional love, selflessness and gratitude.I am endeavouring to teach my children that they are so lucky to have a body that works as they want it to, but at the same time one that doesn't is no less perfect.
I wish Ella all the love and happiness that she deserves.I wish you the strength and wisdom to guide your beautiful daughter. I was going to add God bless you, but I know God has blessed you!
My thoughts will be with you. I work for a Disability Service. It's hard to teach staff to respect families even when they are difficult to work with. We do not walk in the shoes of a parent of a child with a disability (sometimes we don't come into their lives till the child is 10 years of age). We can't begin to know the waves of up and down emotions that families go through from before a baby is born to being told your child has a disability then coping with ups and downs throughout the years. I read the article in the Women's Weekly and thought that's exactly what I wanted staff to hear. Emma I have just finished reading the article you wrote in this month's Women's Weeekly and I can't stop crying . What a wonderful, honest woman you are and I just wanted you to know that. The world needs more people like you in it. You truly have been given a test in unconditional love. What a lucky girl Ella is to have a mother like you - God knew what he was doing when he chose you to be her mother! God bless you all and give you continued strengh to help you cope. A very merry Christmas to you and your family and your story will always hold a little place in my heart. Good luck. Kind regards. Lin I was deeply touched with your article in the December Women's Weekly. Having a
son with the development disorder autism, I could relate to a lot of your
emotions and I would love to stick your book under a lot of people's noses!!!
They could understand our feelings!!!
Am waiting for my copy to read the rest. Best of luck with your book.
Regards I spent most of my spare time that day reading your book and enjoyed it very much. I appreciated your honesty and breathed a sigh of relief knowing I'm not alone in some of my thoughts.
I am grateful that you told your story honestly. Sincerely, I thoroughly enjoyed the read. You managed to say so succinctly
what I have felt throughout my own CdLS journey. I
empathised so strongly with Ella's hospitalisation
issues in particular, your public scrutiny encounters
as well, and often laughed out loud at the quirky
humour that is Ella's own. I have recommended this book to my closest friends and my family. You have put into words what I have felt for many years. Alyssa is just a few months younger than Ella, so I can truly relate. But the way you have described the way the world reacts to our "Special children" is so precise. I just wanted to let you know I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book. Your view on governments helping those who have made mistakes and leaving the others to fend for themselves is right on target. When you said God doesn't make mistakes, it really hit me, over and over again, and still makes me tear up. What a wonderful story! I loved your raw emotions, your complete honesty about how you felt in the best and worst of times, your outlook on the outside world and how they viewed your family, and the sincerity with which you portrayed the love between you and Ella. I cried, I chuckled, and I told my husband every five minutes about what was happening in the book. At this point, he probably feels like he doesn't even need to read it himself! I just finished reading your book. It was really overwhelming. I
cried through pages, but those were tears of relief. I finally had
someone who actually knows what it's like. I share with you the joys
of having a child with CdLS, and I also share with you the sadness. From letters to the Mosman Daily:- I heard you on Glenn Wheeler's show this afternoon, on 2UE. You are a very articulate woman, and a forthright and passionate advocate for the rights of the disabled. I really enjoyed listening to your chat with Glenn and I have just ordered a copy of your book via the website. I have no connection whatsoever with disabled people but you made me think about the issue. I look forward very much to reading the book. God bless you and your family. I just want to say how much your book and extract in the WW has helped me - you so articulately and honestly write just how it is that it saves me trying to explain to others what it is like. I have had nothing but positive feedback about the way you write and my friends with disabled children were so pleased to read exactly what they think and feel. I truly admire you and thank you for helping us. I just wanted to say thank you so very much for sharing your story about you and your beautiful daughter Ella. I have just finished reading your book and found it incredibly moving. I cried a lot. My mother gave me your book after being touched by the similarities to my sister and her family's story. She has a "special needs" daughter who will be five in February. Although their needs are different in many ways, the emotions, visits to specialist after specialist, the isolation, the misunderstanding, the rudeness (whether intended or not) of people's stares were so familiar. I have been moved to rage by my sister's tears in shopping centres over people's utter insensitivity and wish I could be with her all the time to protect her. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you. I don't mean to sound selfish, but it is comforting to know that there are other people experiencing this very broad range of complicated emotions. I know that it is my sister who is dealing with it all on a 24 hour basis but we all love her and our angel and do feel with her (though not at all to the same depth, I know). Thank you so much for writing your book. |
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