Jane Park just watched her daughter turn six, a birthday few doctors ever thought would happen. The retired LPGA pro marked the milestone with a long, beautiful letter to Grace on her Instagram two days ago. Park shared the letter along with a string of photos and videos tracing Grace’s life journey, capturing exactly what six years with her little girl has meant to her.

Another showed Grace laughing outdoors while her father pushed her stroller with the phrase that she has chanted over the years:

“Just make it to six. It’s the number that’s lived in the back of my mind like an uninvited houseguest ever since doctors gave us a window of 5 to 10 yrs. Look back with me: 6yrs of an ever-changing plot twist. A girl who turned “might not” into a thousand ordinary miracles. Grace has never taken anyone else’s directions. Not mine, not her doctors’, not a chart, not a prognosis. She has her own wheels, literally and figuratively, and she rolls through life at exactly the speed she chooses on a route entirely of her own invention.

“Some days I still want to grab time by the collar and beg it to slow down, to promise me more, to just tell me how much we get. But Grace doesn’t live in that conversation. She lives right here, grinning, present, magnificently herself, one day at a time. Standing next to her, I’ve stopped being afraid to look ahead. I’m just grateful. Just so lucky to be along for the ride.”

Park further added what Grace has become over these years, calling her daughter funny, sharp-eyed, stubborn, and quietly tender. She also added that despite being nonverbal, Grace can out-argue any adult in the room using nothing but a look. Moreover, she used the emotional moment to reflect on her own transformation as a mother. She admitted she used to be someone who needed plans, numbers, and certainty to feel steady. Grace, on the other hand, broke that habit completely. She has taught Jane Park to let go of control and instead follow her daughter’s rhythm.

As Park celebrated her daughter’s 6th birthday, she accompanied the note with a range of memories she has made with her over the years. Jane included one image showing three-year-old Grace with a lit candle and balloons nearby. Another showed Grace laughing outdoors while her father pushed her stroller. There were some quieter memories too, looking back to the tough times they faced as a family. For one, Grace is resting in a hospital bed while her dad reads her a picture book, a nasal cannula taped between her lips.

Grace’s epilepsy began in 2021 when she suffered a sudden seizure at 10 months old while Jane Park was competing on tour. After hearing the news, the doctors rushed Grace into intensive care. She spent nearly a month hospitalized, and doctors eventually diagnosed her with intractable epilepsy, a drug-resistant form of the condition that left her with significant brain damage. Since then, the six-year-old has lost the ability to walk unassisted and has become nonverbal, needing full-time support for feeding, mobility, and medical care.

As she turned five last year, it was another big landmark for the family. Park was visibly emotional discussing it then, drawing attention to how far Grace had defied the odds doctors had once given her. Her last birthday also brought its own wave of gratitude and feelings intertwined.

Grace continues to progress through her treatment and keeps attending school, with Park sharing updates on both the hard and the good days.

Now, on her sixth birthday, Park wishes to grab time by the collar as she delivers her closing line that wherever the road goes, Grace is the one driving.