Gabriel's Life

Jodi Lawrence sees her grandson Justin Walker every day. There is never a time she is not reminded how far he has come.

“Justin is a miracle. When he was born, we were told to expect a vegetable,” she said of the premature, 1.5-pound baby. “My husband and I decided to research and learn as much as we could, and give him the best life possible. ”

That was in 2003. Today Justin is 5, weighs 57 pounds and is anything but a vegetable. Lawrence and her husband, David Lawrence, have raised Justin since he left the hospital for the first time at 3 months old. Justin’s father, Jeff Walker, also lives in Oroville.

As a baby, Justin saw five doctors at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento. He had minor cerebral palsy, a stroke that caused hydrocephalus, and “two holes in his heart that closed without surgery,” said Lawrence. Read full story: