‘So Many Everests’ isn’t just a story about Victoria’s determination, it’s about the strength and perseverance of her mother, Diana, too. In an interview with Premier Christian Radio, Diana Webster spoke of Victoria’s birth and the moment when things went wrong - although it was no-one’s fault. Victoria was born prematurely, on a Good Friday and while the consultant was at a conference. The hospital was short staffed and Diana’s husband wasn’t present.

A long and difficult birth starved oxygen from Victoria’s brain and the hospital could make no prediction as to what the long terms effects would be. Overcoming this shock in the birth of her first child, Diana still didn’t know what to expect or how to cope with what seemed an impossible burden. Although times have changed, Diana remembers that her husband wasn’t allowed to see his wife and new child until the official visitor hours. All this instilled a sense of loneliness – especially as Diana couldn’t speak Finnish at the time.

As she grew, it became clear that Victoria would suffer a speech defect and other disabilities affecting her movement and muscular control. Diana only became aware of the term ‘cerebral palsy’ from a book she read as she researched the care her daughter would need. In her faith she prayed and became aware that her child was not a burden, but a treasure. Diana’s positive attitude led her to enrol Victoria into a ‘normal’ school. Afraid of the responsibility of accepting a disabled child, the school authorities were persuaded to take Victoria for an initial two week trial period. Teaching Victoria took much longer than other children – especially in physical activities such as skating, a national sport in Finland. Even though Victoria took may falls, her mother persisted to make Victoria the same as others.

Asked about what message she would give the parents of other children with a disability, Diana Webster said, “The major thing is to treat your child no different from any other child, and to encourage other people to treat them normally.” She added this advice for parents to give their children, “Not to talk about what you can’t do, but what you can do.” – Les Ellison