Ever wonder what a normal family looks like? Debra Markell doesn't. She has a daughter in a wheelchair thanks to a rare form of muscular dystrophy and a son without any health complications at all. And the way she sees it, her family is perfectly normal.
It's a lesson more and more families of kids with special needs are getting to share thanks to CafeMom Studios' new series, Our Special Life. From the outside, people see challenges. But on the inside of the Markells' house, it's the challenges that mark them as not so different.
"We just have 10 times the amount of things to do in the morning," Debra Markell says of preparing 13-year-old daughter Sophie for her day at school. Wow. A crazy morning getting the kids ready for school? How ... normal!
It's no mistake that the Markells allowed cameras into their home to capture Sophie's birthday party, grab imagery of Sophie playing the Wii with brother Andrew (ok, so she uses her foot to move the controller ... I think that's pretty darn cool), and record her trip to school in the morning. It's all stuff any family does.
Emery Dreifuss, the rare form of muscular dystrophy that is making her muscles waste away, might make Sophie's life different from her peers. But the fact is, the Markells are just living life with their two kids. And what a life it is! Take a look:
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
How much in the Markells' life is just like it is in your "normal" family?
Want to keep up with these normal families with different challenges? You can subscribe to Our Special Life on YouTube.
Image via CafeMomStudios/YouTube