Raiseing a disabled child is sometimes easier than rasing a adverage child

My mom   my sisters and  me spring 2005

1   I do not need a curfew.  I do not go out that much and if  I  do  its with my parents  so  they do not need  to stay up worrying  when I will be home  on weekends. 

2  There are a lot of people that have helped me  over the years. OT  Therapist PT ST they  have wondered though my life  helping me and  my parents. 

3 Most of the  things I do outside of  the home are  supervised  thus  they  do not have to worry.

4    Sometimes  my sisters tend to think that they  know everything.  I know  I  don't.

 

5 I have never been  to  a house party therefore  I  have never   been around  drugs  

 6 I have  yet to have a boyfriend  so    my dad does not have to worry.

 

 Got  any other ideas? I  want to hear  them  comment below 

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Yesterday

  So  yesterday I   got to watch the  Muppet  movie  via  Apple TV.


 I really  liked it.  It is about a  muppet who was raised in a human family  thus  he has a hard time  fittining  in  he is  really short. Then  he   watches the Muppet show  on  TV and  he  does not   feel so  alone.  It leads him ....    What you think I would  ruin the movie for  you..




 Anyway   one  of my  favorite  songs that Kermit,  you know  the frog, sings  is  It's not that easy being green.  I  remember watching   the song on Sesame Street  back when I was younger and liking the song but not understanding.  Now   17 years  later  I do  understand its  not that easy to be  different. It's really hard when society  tells  you that you are not wroth  the same because of   stroke  before birth.   Since  green  is the CP  color.   I feel like  Kermit is sining this song  especially  for  kids with  CP even though it applies to  all disabilities. 

TODAY IS

 



Today  is CP Awareness day so if u could tell people about CP I would appreciate. CP is a physical disability that results from a lack of oxygen. I have lived with it for 20 years. CP is the reason why I have trouble talking and running long distances, it is the reason that i can not do my own hair at 20. I just keep trying to do the best I can. Never underestimate a person with CP. Just because A person does not talk clearly or can talk at all does not mean that they have a intellectual disability.  To learn more about what it is like to have CP watch  below 

CP sports camp

  This is cool   I  wish   there was something  like that around here





Sunday is Special so stick  around

Seth's Story part three

           Here is part  one , 

here is  part   two 

 Now for the final chapter 

For every Seth that is saved, there are so many more kids, just like him, waiting in an orphanage. 100,000 in Ukraine alone. Somewhere between the ages of 4 and 6, depending on what part of the country they live in, they will be transferred to a “special needs internaut”… a mental institution. A facility housing ages 4-65. They will remain there the rest of their lives. Those with any sort of special need will never receive an education, no job training, no life skills training. They will sit and stare at the walls, slowly losing their minds, their bodies deteriorating and becoming weak, until they finally give up and die. That is hard to read. It seems sensational. In our day and age, surely not, right. But it’s true. It exists. I’ve been there. I’ve seen a child’s reality. Every time a child is adopted, that child is given hope, health care, family, love and an education. Children who were deemed “uneducable” In Ukraine are brought home, given an education, go on to high school, college, get married and have children. All because someone stepped out in faith and took a chance for a child.

Change is happening in Ukraine, but like all change, it comes slowly. There are a few schools opening up for children with special needs. But they are few and far between in comparison to the demand. Every time a child is adopted, a statement is made that these kids have value, are worth it, and deserve everything we go through to get them here. Slowly, the wheels of change turn.

When I think of Seth and where he’d be if we hadn’t walked through those doors, I think back to the line of wheelchairs, of his mind losing its grip. I think of him sitting there for 59 more years. Doing nothing. Sitting, moaning, rocking. When I think of Seth’s future, I see him starting school, learning to read, learning to walk, being on a high school swim team, maybe being a weight lifter. I see him studying hard, because he knows the value of what he’s been given. I see him being a cub scout, a boy scout, earning his Eagle, going on to college and being an engineer some day. With his captivating laugh and coy smile, I’m sure he will get married and have children. All of this can be his, despite his CP, with his CP, because of his CP. His cerebral palsy shaped him. Without it, he wouldn’t have spent his first six years where he did. He might not have the determination and drive he does. He certainly wouldn’t be in our family. We owe a lot to his CP. His CP put him where he is now… in our family.


 Thanks for sharing Laura.  I have enjoyed   reading about Seth's incredible journy for more information please vist   Laura's blog.  

Happy World Down Syndrome Day

 Happy  World Down Syndrome  day here is something  I wrote  about  LM.  My  friend  with  DS. I wrote this  when  i  was  a junior in high school 

Spending time with LM is like opening a Christmas present and being pleasantly surprised because it was not on your list, but you enjoy it all the same. L M is a year my junior. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. His name might be L but he prefers to be called Michael Jordan. Needless to say, he is a huge basketball fanatic. Surprisingly, LM and I did not meet on a basketball court. We met at Judo class where he is now an orange belt. L an easy-going kid, but that does not mean to say he is always happy. He gets grumpy and angry and he doesn't like to admit his defeat. L lives near my school, but unfortunately for all the students and staff will merely be a name without a face. L will live through the stories and the essay I am about to tell you. But chances are, you will never meet the Michael Jordan of San Mateo. The reason being is that L has to go to our rival school because he has Down Syndrome and attends a special program there. 

The summer before the eighth grade I was invited to the M's house to spend time with L. Although the intention of my visit was to have fun on a summer's day I learned a lot by going to his house. He gave me a quick tour of his house before leading me down to his room that he shared with his brother who is a year my senior. Stacked up along his wall were video boxes. The video boxes took me back to when I was young because there were Disney movies. L had a wide range of selection which ranged from Mulan to Aladin. It looked to me that he had all the collection. "Lets watch Mulan two ." L said bring out the DVD box. I was not so sure about that . I mean I did not want to tell L that my personal collection was gathering dust because I had grown out of them. L did not want to take no for an answer so after playing outside L played the video. As the movie was playing L pointed to Mulan and said " That is my sister. " He proceed to do this and it hit me that L was using his imagination to put himself and his friends inside the movie. At the time I did not think much of the move. I do not remember much of it except LM sat entranced by the story and sang along with the songs. 

LM was thirteen at the time of our play date but yet he still loved watching Disney movies. Some people might just write him off as less capable but mankind can learn a thing or two from him. Mankind's favorite saying is the grass is greener on the other side, whether it is adulthood or a different job or classroom. Humans can learn to enjoy their side of the grass and if you happened to get on the other side it would merely by an unexpected Christmas gift instead of a dream. Adults are always telling little kids that " they are such a big kid" we should not say this because it's impression is that being little is not okay. Instead of growing up being like the 50 meter dash man should slow down to enjoy the sights and sounds of childhood. It is surprising what someone with an intellectual disability can teach you about life.

LM has taught me that it's ok to do whatever it is that makes you happy. Even if it goes against the trends and thoughts of society. LM has taught me that it's ok to be different and that everybody matures differently. Some people might mature faster than others but in the end they do. LM has taught me that a childhood hobby can carry on into teenage years even if it is only for kids. The most important thing that LM has taught me is to not assume that a person is incapable of doing anything.