Michelle Higel:  

I have been married for 10 years now and have one daughter, Abby. My husband, Chris, is from Michigan and we met through my brother, Bill in 1991. We were married in 1997 and live in Hobart, Indiana which is just south of Lake Michigan in the Northwest section of Indiana (about 40 minutes from Chicago). Our daughter Abby was born in 2001 at just 25 weeks- 3 1/2 months early weighing just 1lb 15 oz. She is now 6 years old, in the first grade and just received her orange belt in Taekwondo. We also have a 7 year old black miniature schnauzer named Cleopatra and a 4 month old black & silver miniture schnauzer named Rosie Posie. Chris is a signal foreman at EJ & E and I am the Program Director for Center for Possibilites at Cerebral Palsy of NWI, Inc. I love spending time with my family; just watching my daughter play in our backyard or grilling out with my husband. We spend most of our summers up in our cabin in Michigan or on our boat on Lake Michigan. We visit with my parents in Aurora, IL about once a month and just returned from visiting their farm in Rend Lake over thanksgiving weekend. My brother lives in Florida with his wife Christina and we usually visit them about twice a year. Our daughter is the light of our lives. She is such an an amazing gift! After her early birth, we were told that if she was lucky enough to live, then she would face a lifetime of disabilites. She is so determined and has such a passion for life that I don't think anything could stop her from living life to the fullest. Although we faced many challenges during her first year of life, you would never know that now. She actually took her first independent steps at the home of Mike and Jodi Tracy (Crain)in Murphysboro. She is an active, feisty and healthy 6 year old who wants to know everything. After I received my degree in 1995, I worked in Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault counseling, long term-care, Ho...Expand for more