Amber Carmen Anson

When you looked into Amber's eyes you felt love. It was clear and genuine, like coming home to an old friend. There didn't need to be words. Just two pairs of eyes meeting, sharing the joy of life.

When Patricia Anson discovered she was going to have a baby, her jaw dropped. Her husband, Rich, was stunned too. As first-time parents they were both a little nervous. Where would the delivery be? How would they decide on a name? Would they be good parents? Patricia grew bigger and rounder with each day, and they excitement grew too. Patricia and Rich couldn't wait to meet the person they'd created, the person who would transform a couple into a family of three.

One week before the due date, the parents-to-be and Aunt Tami settled on a name for their baby girl: Amber. Then, right on schedule, baby Amber pushed and squirmed, desperate to get out into the world. At 12:52 p.m. on May 14, 1995, Amber took her first breath, just in time for Mother's Day. Patricia and Rich were overwhelmed with tears and happiness and love. Before long they had the whole family - 17 people - gathered in the Borgess birthing room, eating pizza and drinking champagne.

That night, once things calmed, Patricia and Rich cradled Amber in their arms and slept, a family of three now made. As her first days passed, Amber smiled more and more. "She's such a happy baby!" everyone said. It was true. If not by her smile, you could tell by the dimple she'd inherited from dad, the one that wrinkled and creased with every giggle.

But as the weeks continued to pass, Amber's smiles changed. Something wasn't right. Visits to the doctor brought no answers, just frustration. Finally, right as Amber reached her six-month birthday, doctors diagnosed her with the devastating news: a seizure disorder. Unfortunately, the seizures brought with them an even more devastating and permanent illness: Cerebral Palsy. This meant that, over time, the smiles and laughter that had once been Amber's trademark would fade, never to return. But it wasn't the end of the world. Amber grew and learned and came to smile in other ways, like with her eyes. You looked into them and knew that she was laughing and smiling; that she would never stop.

At age three-and-a-half, Amber started school. The Allegan County Developmental Center became a place not only to learn, but also, a place to make friends. Two of Amber's best companions were her teachers, Michelle Hazen and Michelle Smith. They encouraged Amber to explore the world, and she did. It was with her teachers' encouragement that Amber first discovered the joy of swimming. She couldn't wait to put on her special life vest, which was so "special" because, like magic, it gave her the power to be free from her wheelchair. Amber could have lived in the water, moving easily, gliding. But as it was, swimming was just an exclusive treat; something to be savored.

Although Amber couldn't participate in many physical activities, she found great joy in watching her brother and sisters at play. Seeing Dillon run across the yard, or Katie playing dolls made her eyes smile in a way that only her favorite things could. Things like being rocked, or snuggling with Grandpa Don, or listening to lullabies playing softly before bed. Amber loved them all. She loved taking car rides too. The movement rocked Amber, gently, and she relaxed against her seat. It was a welcome peace, a relief from the challenges her fragile body endured. No matter how bad things got, Amber never complained. She was purely sweet and good, ready to love and be loved unconditionally.

Fittingly, Amber loved angels. Her family gave her many winged figures over the years, until finally there was an entire tree full of them. At Christmas time, Amber kept the tree from Grandma Joanie and Grandpa Jim in her bedroom. For her it was a beautiful reminder of the love that filled her life. To others, the angel tree was a symbol of Amber. She was an angel on Earth who, without words, taught everyone to express compassion, exercise patience, and enjoy just being alive.

Amber is smiling now, at peace. Her friends and family will never forget the love and laughter she so generously shared.

Amber was loved dearly by many people, including her aunts and uncles: Bob and Sue Trailer (Amber's God Parents), Dan Kral, Jim and Diana Kral, Bill and Mary Kral, Tami and Doug Dommert, Billy Ray and Jackie Sleeman, Marc and Kathy Sleeman; her adoring grandparents Don and Judy Kral, Tom and Louise Anson, Joanie and Jim Curtis, Bill and Bonnie Sleeman; her great grandmother, Doris Sleeman; and of course her doting parents, Patricia and Rich Anson, and her loving siblings, Dillon, Katie, and Natalie.

Amber Anson, age 11, of Kalamazoo died peacefully at Bronson Methodist Hospital on Wednesday, May 31, 2006. Learn more about Amber, view her Life Story film, and visit with her family and friends Thursday from 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home, RDMG,Plainwell 120 S. Woodhams. Funeral services will be held at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Richland at 12 Noon on Friday. Members of Amber's family include her parents Patricia and Rich Anson, her brother Dillon, sisters Katie and Natalie, several loving aunts, uncles and grandparents. Please visit Amber's memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can archive a favorite memory. Memorial donations can be made to the Allegan County Developmental Center.