High 5: Utah family documents life with cerebral palsy
Dec 4, 2019, 8:42 AM | Updated: Oct 9, 2024, 1:30 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah family is inspiring a lot of people after they shared their struggles and their triumphs on a blog called “Our Life in Holland.”
The Binghams don’t actually live in Holland. The phrase is a reference to a short essay called “Welcome to Holland,” by writer Emily Perl Kingsley. It’s the story of a trip indefinitely diverted from Italy to Holland, and the travelers – instead of being bitter – decide to make the most of their unexpected journey.
Justin, Lindsay, Turin, Ashton, Landon and Ava Bingham – who also have a YouTube channel with more than 28,000 subscribers – are on such a journey.
Cerebral palsy diverted the Binghams from their course when the twins, Ashton and Landon, were born.
“I spent a month in the hospital with them, and then they spent a month in the NICU,” Lindsay said. “It’s just kind of been crazy ever since.”
Landon is now a charismatic third-grader who does everything his brothers do with a little help from his leg braces. However, the fear of a physically-limited life hit the family hard early on.
“I just kept getting this feeling that I should share our story, that I needed to reach out and connect with other people with the things that we’ve been doing through,” Lindsay said.
Landon said he doesn’t let cerebral palsy slow him down, and he doesn’t mind talking about it if someone has questions.
“The ask, ‘Why do you walk funny?'” he said. “I say, ‘Well, my body works differently than yours does.'”
The Bingham family was nominated for a KSL High 5 because people said they’re making a difference. They’re letting families know that it’s OK to not have a life go the way you planned, and it can still be awesome.