The Greatest Honor of Being a Mother

Here is a quick bio of my son, who will be graduating high school on May 23, 2014. I wish I had written more of my memories of him over the course of his life, but this is a gentle reminder to be ever present and intentional in the lives of your children.

I love you, dear sweet Matthew.

Matthew Stephen Cerrone

Matthew was born on November 4, 1995, to Robert and Jeanne Cerrone. He entered the world with a struggle to live, and we embraced him during those early days in the NICU. After he arrived home, we thought that everything would be okay. He had many illnesses as a little baby, and little did we know that all the ear infections would affect him later in life.

Matthew grew into a smart, quick-witted, and charming boy. He was using the computer at three years of age. He learned to read fluently at age 5. He was always “ahead of the game” in both academics and any skill he learned. Teachers were in awe of his mindset, and he made friends easily wherever he went.

When he was ten years old he decided to be baptized in his faith. This was an amazing time as he clarified his faith in God. Shortly after this decision, he became ill with a rare autoimmune disorder called Henoch Schonlein Purpura. This is a condition that results from a compromised immune system (all those ear infections). He was home-schooled during this time. There is still a 50% chance of recurrence, so he will always need to keep his immune system in check.

Two years later he was still struggling with ear issues, and a new doctor discovered a cholesteatoma in his left ear. If left untreated it would threaten his life. So, he underwent two major surgeries. The first one removed the “tumor” as well as his mastoid process. The second surgery would reconstruct his ear canal and put in a titanium frame to replace the lost bone.

After recovering from this unforeseen circumstance, Matthew began to grow and mature through his junior high years with ease. He was home-schooled during his healing time, but after giving much thought to his future, he decided to return to public school in 10^th grade to finish his studies.

As of today, Matthew has completed four years of high school in three years’ time. He has continued to amaze us with his ability to learn quickly, retain well, and achieve new goals. He joined the cross country team, the track team, and also the yearbook and theater departments during his time in high school. He has also learned to play the piano and loves to sing. His studies and activities have continued to keep him quite busy, but he is looking forward to some down time this summer before he begins college.

We are so proud of our eldest son, Matthew. He has truly been a blessing to us all, and we are so thankful for all of the time we have had with him. We look forward to seeing what he will do with his gifts and talents. We will continue to lift him in prayer as we know that he is a child of God.

Matthew’s name means “Gift of God,” and we definitely know this meaning to be true!

Thank you dear family and friends for all of your love and support to our family as we raise our son for God’s glory!

With love,

Robert and Jeanne