The power of unconditional love

No matter what challenges you face in life, this devoted dad will inspire you to never give up!

UPDATE 24 DEC – Christmas stories

After we shared the first video of Chris and Bill Davis a few months ago, the video has been seen by 30M people! 

Many of you asked how they are doing today. We contacted Bill and he was very happy to have a Skype conversation with us. We will release more videos as we recorded over 60 minutes. Chris has so many inspiring things to share with us! We also talked about Christmas. Bill and Chris have some wonderful Christmas stories to share. Watch the video till the very very end as Chris has a message for us 😉

Daily struggle

Parenting a child is the most difficult job in the world. But for those whose children have a physical or mental disability it can be a challenge that even the strongest struggle to overcome. 

For Bill Davis, whose son Chris was born with physical disabilities, as well as neurological damage and severe autism, just getting through the day was a huge battle. 

‘Chris did not communicate, he didn’t sit down, he didn’t put on clothes, he wouldn’t go outside,’ recalls American father Bill. ‘He ate the walls, he ate the table, he ate the rug. If I coughed he would run downstairs and punch me. It was a 24 hour day job. Chris never slept, he never ate, he wore diapers, he never spoke.’ 

Looking for answers

Chris’ disabilities were so severe that Bill and his wife were advised by doctors that Chris needed to be cared for in an institution, but they refused to give up. 

‘We went on this battle to educate and provide therapies,’ explains Bill, whose story is one of many to feature in Andrew Solomon’s book Far From The Tree, which tells the stories of people who have learnt to deal with their exceptional children and found profound meaning in doing so. 

‘His mum studied everything she could get her hands on and set up a school in our home and we began teaching Chris.’

Against all odds

Bill was determined to improve his son’s life in whatever way he could. ‘I thought to myself, if he’s happy, if he stops hurting himself, if I could hug him, that would be the greatest gift in life.’ 

And, against all the odds, Bill’s unconditional love paid off and Chris improved. So much so that Chris is now at college, where he’s studying music, computers and art!

Inspiring others

Bill and Chris’ story has resonated with thousands of people online. Here are some of the comments from people who have been moved by the video on the BrightVibes Facebook page: