He hugged me really tight and told me he was proud of me and that I was doing great. [ ask for a story or info or just say hi ]

I was born dead. Not dead like "he's askin' for a story or info or just wanting to say hi", like actual birth/death. <br><br>The doctors were able to revive me, but I had to stay in the hospital for a long time, getting better. The first time my father saw me, I was hooked up to a variety of machines and tubes. He was... upset by the sight of me and was known to say that I was "too ugly to live". <br><br>Five years later, my brother was born. He died in utero. <br><br>Shortly after my brother died, my parents were told that I would never be able to walk or talk. I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities. <br><br>So I worked hard. I had physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy. I taught myself to walk as a two year old in physical therapy, not at 1 years old with my family. I worked hard to learn to speak. The doctors were wrong. I was able to do both. <br><br>I struggled in school for a while, but I put a lot of effort into my work and I eventually became a really good student. I was in the gifted program, taking honors and AP courses, and graduating at the top of my high school. <br><br>I went to college, earning multiple degrees in subjects my father didn't approve of. <br><br>My senior year of college, I visited my childhood home in the US after a year in the UK. My parents and I were watching a movie and I was sitting on the floor, close to my father. He reached down, rubbed my head, and hugged me really tight. He whispered "I'm proud of you" in my ear. When my mom was getting ready for bed, he stopped her for a moment and whispered to her that it "felt like I was really his son, like he could finally be proud of me". <br><br>I don't speak or see my father. I haven't for about 2 years now. I don't know why. I think about him every day. Every time someone asks me to give a speech, I want to say hi to him and tell him about my life.<br><br>He hugged me really tight, and told me he was proud of me, and that I was doing great.