A Children’s book written by local author and founder of Grace Upon Grace, Maria Sharrett.
Illustrated by Gainesville native, 18 year old Eva Shoaf.
Have you ever wondered if there were Super Heroes among us today? No need to search anymore, we have found the best we must say. We did not have to look far to find a group with unique abilities. They are Wonderfully Super and have infinite possibilities. ”Wonderfully Super"“ was written to be fun and exciting for kids, while also opening doors for conversations to normalize disability and provide hope to young children who are fighting illness or disease such as cancer. Scroll through this page to meet our Wonderfully Super team!
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A message from the author…
Reagan
Meet Reagan Grace. She is 3.5 years old. We were told at our 12-week ultrasound that she likely had Down Syndrome. They also told us that she had Anasarca, and was not compatible with life. We were told to come back to the doctor weekly to check for her heartbeat. Every week we would go and, despite the odds, her heart would still be beating. The doctors continued to be concerned by what the ultrasound images showed; and we met with the director of our local NICU to talk about palliative care for our baby if she made it to birth. God had a different plan for Reagan, and by His grace, she continued to grow. As we approached delivery, the ultrasounds showed that Reagan had Ventriculomegaly. We were told she would likely need a shunt put in as soon as she was delivered. Throughout our pregnancy with Reagan, God displayed His sovereignty in all circumstances. Reagan has Down Syndrome, and Hydrocephalus but these diagnoses are not her identity. Reagan truly lights up our lives. She is smart, funny, joyful and determined. We are so grateful that God chose us to be her parents. We are thrilled that Grace Upon Grace is here to offer those with special needs like Reagan an opportunity to share their strengths and unique gifts with their local communities in a vocational capacity.
Griff
Griffin is a 5-year-old bottle of positive energy who has been through more in his five years of life than most have experienced in a lifetime. Griffin was born with a heart that needed to be mended. 4 weeks after birth Griffin had surgery that attempted to save his life, however, it caused his heart to stop. Griffin was on life support for 5 days and then spent the next 6 months in and out of the hospital before he was strong enough to undergo another heart surgery. Since then, Griffin has been thriving in life! He never has a frown on his face! His hero mentality keeps his close friends and family focused on their faith in the Lord above and his faithfulness to keeping Griffin healthy. Griff will face future surgeries on his heart, but not without an inspiring smile on his face! He is a true hero!
Caleb
This is Caleb Ragan. He is 8 years old and in the 3rd grade. Caleb is a very typical 8 year old, he loves playing his Nintendo Switch, swimming, and being outdoors, and he can name almost every dinosaur. Caleb was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 2 at 1 year old. SMA is a progressive neuromuscular disease, similar to ALS, but in babies. It used to be the number 1 genetic killer of children under 2, but thanks to research and treatments it no longer is. We were told there was no treatment, no hope, and with Caleb’s progression, we would be lucky if he lived to his teens. Receiving this magnitude of a diagnosis and watching our baby decline and lose the ability to move independently were some of the darkest days of our lives. However, we made the choice to fight and not allow SMA to define our future. We chose to walk by faith and rely on God’s grace to carry us. In 2016, we received a direct answer to our prayers when the FDA approved the first treatment for SMA and Caleb began receiving this miracle medication intrathecally every 4 months. We were told that the medication would only prevent SMA from progressing; but, Caleb has made HUGE improvements over the years, even regaining some lost abilities, and continues to remain stable. Caleb is thriving in all areas. He is mature beyond his years, and excels academically and socially. Despite facing countless medical challenges, Caleb is vivacious and gives us daily reminders that “everything always turns out happy”. Every day with him is truly a gift and we are sure that God’s plan for Caleb’s future is bright.
Will
February 25, 2015. My first born, a baby boy, was born. And all of the dreams that I had were shattered. I grieved the loss of what I never had. God had other plans for me and my husband. We learned that our baby was born with ventriculomegaly, hydrocephalus, hypotonia, cerebral palsy, hypoglycemia, hyperinsulinism, no suck reflex (unable to drink from a bottle or take a passie), retronathia, a high pallet, pectus excavatum, severe obstructive sleep apnea, hypoxia, seizures, insomnia, global developmental delay, severe scoliosis, and the list continues to go on and on. Pages of diagnoses. However, all genetic testing under the sun came back as inconclusive. There is no known syndrome associated with his DNA. Will has been in from the NICU, to the PICU, to the TICU and everywhere in between. We treat the symptoms, go to therapy 5 times per week, see multiple specialists, and endure a multitude of ambulance rides, ER visits, and hospital admissions.
We were told that Will may not make it past 5 years of age. He may never say “mama” or “dada.” He will not like to be touched or hugged.
Will’s life is in the hands of our Lord. He is 7 years old now. He can sit unassisted, maneuver his wheelchair independently, and walk with a gait trainer. Will knows his mommy and daddy love him very much and he loves hugs and high fives!
I don’t fully understand “why.” But what I do know is that God most certainly had/has other plans for us and for Will. He planned for us to be Will’s parents. He made and gave us Will for a reason. God’s grace shows us that we are strong, we are loved, and He is in control.
I may not know what the future holds for our Baby Will, but I know that by the Grace of God, we will continue to work together to love and provide for ALL of His very special children.
Matina, we see the infinite possibilities because “He can do immeasurably more”and love Will so much!
Crash
Brentley, aka Crash, was diagnosed with leukemia shortly before Christmas, 2021, creating a Christmastime whirlwind in his family’s home. Brentley has always been athletic and outgoing, participating in sports and acting like family to everyone he meets (Brentley knows no strangers!). Since his diagnosis, he has had surgery to have a port placed and a bone marrow transplant, and had multiple long stays at hospitals and Ronald McDonald House. Now he is home, still battling, but able to attend hospital homebound and brother’s outdoor events. He also just ran his first 2k! During this process he got a service dog (trained to provide support through treatments) which he named Crash - after his own nickname. Crash goes everywhere with Brentley. See Crash the superhero and Crash the Dog in the Wonderfully Super book!