THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 8, 1994 TAG: 9407060101
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
It may be a sweltering summer day but birds sing and leaves stir with the gentlest of breezes in a quiet corner of the Glover back yard in Churchland.
This is Jessica's garden, the handiwork of volunteers from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern Virginia, who recently created the garden retreat for 4-year-old Jessica Glover.
Jessica, the daughter of Sheila and David ``Smokey'' Glover, has a rare degenerative brain disease that has led to numerous other health problems. Functionally blind, Jessica suffers from a seizure disorder, is unable to eat or drink, and has bones so fragile that they can fracture with just normal movement.
Procedures as simple as changing her diaper have become delicate, two-person maneuvers. Jessica whimpers in discomfort when her legs are moved, and Sheila Glover croons softly to her while she and a nurse deftly slip on a new diaper and smooth the bedsheets.
In spite of her illness, Jessica is alert, hearing everything around her and responding to voices, to being touched, and to being held.
When Jessica's name was submitted to the Make-A-Wish Foundation by the Edmarc Hospice for Children Inc., the wish granters knew hers was a case that would challenge all their experience.
The Eastern Virginia Chapter of Make-A-Wish was founded in 1986 and since then has granted almost 300 wishes to local children who suffered from life-threatening conditions or terminal illnesses.
Most of the wishes, usually limited only by the child's imagination, have been trips to destinations like Disney World, Hawaii, and the Super Bowl or visits with favorite celebrities or shopping sprees.
``Jessica was so very sick and could not travel,'' Candie Palen, Make-A-Wish director, said. ``We tried for a long time to find an appropriate wish for her.''
The Glovers were stumped too. ``We wanted the wish to be something for Jessica and not for us,'' Sheila Glover said.
Finally the Glovers asked if the Make-A-Wish Foundation could help them buy a few shrubs, plants and, perhaps a wooden swing to make a garden where Jessica could be outdoors comfortably.
When wish-granters Andrew and Janet Smallwood accepted the Glover assignment, they took the garden plans way beyond the Glovers' expectations. In just one mid-June weekend, the Smallwoods, with a few other volunteers, created a shaded mini-park in a corner of the Glover yard that overlooks a creek leading out to the Western Branch of the Elizabeth River.
Gravel paths circle the tiny park among beds of blooming impatiens and begonias. A birdbath welcomes a variety of birds while stone benches and a cedar garden swing invite visitors to sit for a while and enjoy the peaceful rustling of the leaves. Or maybe to watch the mother raccoon and her babies perched high in a neighbor's tall tree. A cedar arbor over the garden entrance bears a marker that reads ``Jessica's Garden.''
``I can't believe this is my back yard,'' Sheila Glover said. Glover, 32, works part time as a health benefits analyst for the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters. Her 37-year-old husband is a ship surveyor who has lived in the same home all his life. Like other proud parents, they have dozens of pictures of Jessica on display in the living room.
Jessica, their only child, was born after a fairly uncomplicated pregnancy. She had been a small baby and as Sheila watched her progress, she realized that Jessica was not developing at the usual rate.
She kept reminding herself that all children develop in their own time. ``You never think that something could be wrong with your child,'' she said. ``That is something that happens to other people.''
When Jessica was seven months old, a neurologist examined her and made an initial diagnosis of cerebral palsy.
``All our expectations changed within seconds,'' Sheila Glover said. ``I went from wondering if she would be a cheerleader to wondering if she would ever be able to say ``Mama.''
Not until January 1993 did the Glovers realize the true nature of Jessica's condition. ``The doctors still can't put a name or a label on her problem other than it is a degenerative brain disease of an unspecified origin,'' Sheila Glover said. ``It is very, very rare.''
Nor will the doctors speculate on how long Jessica can survive.
``Somewhere inside me, my mother's voice tells me that she will never be 5 years old,'' Sheila Glover said. ``Our main goal for Jess has been to make her as comfortable as she can possibly be.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
Sheila Glover comforts her daughter, Jessica, who has a degenerative
brain disease.
The Make-A-Wish foundation built this garden in Jessica Glover's
back yard.
by CNB