Turner Montgomery, a teenage boy from Cleveland, had no idea his beloved mom Debbie had been keeping a secret from him since the day he was born. She wanted to wait until he was old enough to cope with the news. When Turner turned 15, she knew he was ready to hear it.
Debbie proceeded to reveal her truth: that one day in the imminent future, should would be bound to a wheelchair. She explained to Turner that following his birth, doctors diagnosed her with dermatomyositis. The autoimmune disease would only worsen over time and eventually leave her paralyzed.
The news brought Turner to his knees and shattered his world. He couldn't bear to think of his vibrant mother paralyzed in a wheelchair, her body deteriorating before his eyes.
Debbie's confession made such an impact on Turner that he decided to study biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University. His goal? To find a cure for his mother's illness.
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Turner began his tireless research, which involved digging up Debbie's old medical records.
Seven years after Debbie revealed her secret, the dedicated son finally found what he was looking for. As it turned out, the doctors misdiagnosed his mother from the start…
This article originally appeared on LittleThings in May 2018.
