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Imagine having a kid with a serious physical or mental disability, either caused by an accident or a birth defect.
All those months you spent planning the arrival of your child, moving to a bigger house, going to medical appointments, thinking you'll have a healthy kid. You'll probably spend hours imagining him or her growing, going to school for the first time, making friends, graduating from college and maybe starting a family, so you can enjoy your grand kids on your old age.
Instead, the doctor tells you your child has been born with a rare generic condition, they're not sure if he or she is even sentient or not. It could also be the case that you had a healthy kid, until you get a phone from a hospital telling you that he sustained an irreversible brain injury after a major car accident.
All the time, resources and care you will ever spend on that child will never yield to anything other than to keep him or her alive. This kid will never be a well adjusted member of society, he will never be able to sustain himself, and will either die or be institutionalized once you are dead.
How do parents cope with situations like these? What do they tell themselves? How do they keep going?
