About Me

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Name: Karen Steward
Site URL: http://www.karensteward.typepad.com
Home site: http://www.karensteward.com

Bio: Karen Steward was born and raised in Texas.
She is a wife, mom of four (2 sons, 2 daughters), and grand mom of 4, Taylor and Thomas who were born 2 weeks of each other; October, 2004, and little Mazie Grace, born Dec. 28th 2007, and our newest little sweetheart, Ashtyn, who was born on August 29th, 2008.

"While other kids in high school were planning what colleges they would attend, I was dreaming of having children. And just like the ones who pursued and furthered their education, I embarked on a mission to have a house full of children. Our first son was born in 1972, a second son in 1974, a daughter in 1976 and another daughter in 1977. Though some people view child rearing and homemaking as an inferior goal in life, I never once regretted the choice that I made-—after all, there’s absolutely nothing as rewarding or causes one to be more resilient than a house full of toddlers. Simply put, we had a ball. We spent days at the park, swimming pool, the zoo, making mud pies, filling Tonka trucks with rocks, while drinking bottles of root beer and orange soda. I often worked in the yard while the boys pushed their trucks in the mud and the girls tiptoed around the yard in plastic high heels, pushing their dolls (or an unfortunate animal) in their baby strollers.

When the flowers sprouted, the kids rewarded my efforts by pulling every bloom and presenting them to me. There’s nothing quite like a child who walks up to you and says, “Mom, I picked these just for you!”

When the children were small, I never hesitated to take them all out shopping with me. We would leave the car, all hands linked together like a long chain of entwined paperclips. One baby would get the coveted position of riding in the basket, while the others linked hands together, with one child always holding onto the anchor—my shirttail. Each time we shopped the kids got praise and compliments for their well behavior from strangers who passed us in the aisles. Of course, these compliments caused the kids to beam, but one day my oldest son, doubting what he had heard, asked: “Mom, are we really that good?” Well, he knew the truth. Definitely, they had their times of being full-blown warriors; but in the public eye the weapons, armor, and war makeup were always laid aside.

I can't imagine my life without the giggles, squeals and sticky kisses that children have to offer. My husband and I had a ball with our children. Our joyous home, however, was turned inside out when our oldest daughter suddenly became ill. After years of illness, Melissa is now enjoying her life again. During those trying years I became determined of mind that no other little girl be forced to endure what our little girl had endured.

It became very clear to me that a book had to be written. When that writing began, I realized that I have always been writing. The realization prompted the creative juices to begin flowing into more works. I am currently working on 2 novels and several children’s stories.

Great satisfaction came when the final words were placed into the story of Melissa’s pain and struggle. It is my prayer that the story will promote ARD awareness and bring hope to other ARD sufferers, as well as bring change in our American medical system. ARD sufferers have been ignored much too long.”©

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