Stephany speaks from the heart:

I, too, am a parent who loves my daughter and respects her illness [and my own]. It's been a long road for her, and myself as well. One thing I have learned, which sounds too simple--is that I cannot make her well. I can walk alongside of her the best I can, and I've seen her sleeping in urine in ERs, Ive seen her stop traffic with her body.

She is the same person, the same daughter who I will love forever, though I may not like how things are, it's imperative to respect the person. I have learned to embrace what you said here: "If you had talked to this woman, as I did, you would want to wrap her up in your arms and tell her everything's going to be okay. But I couldn't do that because it's not true."

I am learning that I will simply love my daughter forever, and that it's okay if things are not okay.
It's important to support a person without wanting to control a person, or their life. I want the best life for my daughter, yet what I want for her may not be how her life is, and that is what parents need to understand. It's important to let go.

Thanks for sharing, Stephany.