CEREBRAL PALSY AWARENESS MONTH: FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH CP

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month is coming to an end. 

I want to thank all of those who wore Green on March 25th, Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. I received a few emails stating that their coworkers wore Green that day after reading my Facebook Challenge. Ya'll are AWESOME!!!!!

Today, I am going to tell you about some people with Cerebral Palsy. I am absolutely sure there are many more . If anyone comes to mind, please do share.

Josh Blue is my favorite comedian with Cerebral Palsy. His act centers around his disability. Most of us with CP can so relate to him and laugh about it.

Abbey Nicole Curran  was the first MISS USA PAGEANT contestant with a disability, representing IOWA. You go girl!

Bonner Paddock who wasn't diagnosed until he was 11 years-old played sports, In 2008, he was the first person with CP to reach the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. He is the founder and chairman of the OM Foundation that raises money to build early learning centers providing various types of therapy to children with disabilities.

Dan Keplinger is an artist known as King Gimp. His art is awesome.

Geri Jewel is a comedian, actress author and motivational speaker. You may have seen her on Facts of Life where she became the first person with CP to be on a prime time TV show. 

Christy Brown is the author of  his autobiography of My Left Foot that was turned into a movie. He has a severe form of CP. He was nearly paralyzed and couldn't speak until he moved his left foot. His mother than taught him to speak, read and write. His story is truly inspirational.

RJ Mitte: An actor on Breaking Bad. He serves a spokesman of actors with disabilities for the Screen Actors Guild. He is also an Ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy. 

Jerry Taylor is the only person to jog across America with crutches. He is a motivational speaker and participated in running over 30 marathons and climbed the top of over 14,110 foot Pike's Peak.

See folks, there are so many others with CP who have conquered so many challenges. They have extraordinary lives. This is a list of only a few but the ones who make me smile when I hear their names.  

CP AWARENESS: PSYCHOLOGY REPORT II

Here's the second Psychology Report a year later from yesterday's post.

Again I'll translate:

Age: 6 years 6 months

Seen: New Iberia Health Unit
          Iberia Parish Unit
         5-12-69


I saw Lisa in April of 68 at which time she attained a Stanford-Binet I.Q. of 71. Another test was wanted to see if she had changed significantly and what class she should be placed in, whether she should attempt the regular class or be in a retarded class.

Lisa impresses me as rather formal and matter of fact without great feeling. She talks rather vaguely and her articulation problems make it quite difficult to understand her.  She is still a fairly scared child.


On the WISC Lisa attained a verbal IQ of 72 and a Performance I.Q. of 65. These scores are in the Borderline and Mildly Retarded ranges. The highest score seems to be the more accurate measure of her academic or school ability.

There are signs from testing and otherwise that the mother tends to keep expecting too much and pushing this girl some. Again I told her that she couldn't help Lisa's ability by doing this but could harm it some. I encouraged her to let Lisa do as much as she could, however.

Actually, this girl needs a slow learner class but that's not available. I think it's probably better to let this girl belong to the regular class and spend a year or two in each grade, rather than being in class where they are much lower and much rowdier.  Also regular classes are near her home and family would not have to drive an hour a day to make arrangements. I cautioned the mother that Lisa probably would fail every year or so and to emphasize on grades significantly. I think it would be good if Mrs Hebert reinforced this from time to time.

______
I passed every year as an average student. I went onto becoming a nurse. So much for being a slow learner.

With many years of speech therapy during my Elementary years my speech has improved significantly although I have trouble with saying a word. I call those times as having a CP brain fart.

 Once you get to know me, you usually get used to my speech. However, strangers have trouble sometimes. MyHubby tells me most of the time they are not listening exactly to what I am saying.

Case in point: The other day I was on the phone. I was saying my address and our street name is difficult for people to spell: Courtableau…signs like Core-tah-blah. I spelled it. She comes back with C-o-r-t-o-b-l-u. How did she miss u, got "o" out of a and totally missed ea is beyond me because I was saying it fairly slow. So I had to repeat using words "C as in Cat", etc.

My mom is my hero. She could tell I could do a lot more than the Psychologist implied. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if there was a slow learner class available. I think my Mom would have fought tooth and nail.

The  tone of the psychologist and the way he used mentally retarded makes me cringe.

It's funny! I think I express myself with very strong feelings just fine. I think many will agree.

I think as a child I was shy and I knew I was "different". Being evaluated by doctors and psychologists was intimidating to a little tot. Kids sense many things and maybe I sensed something with this psychologist so I clammed up.

I also wondered how the test was performed because how could he give me a score when he could not understand what I am saying?

Of course with my bad speech problems at the time, very few people took the time to try to listen and understand me. So I probably thought why bother to talk.

I have friends and family members say they forget I have Cerebral Palsy in any way, shape or form.
I love to hear that.

Thank you for the warm comments and encouraging words.

CP AWARENESS: 1st PSYCHOLOGY REPORT

Years ago, I received my records from the Crippled Children's Clinic in the local health unit. It was like a child on Christmas. I have read my records so many times. I'll share bits and pieces I think is interesting.

Here is a Psychology report  a psychologist wrote on me after examining me for the first time.The print may be too small so I have transcribed it below.  My second visit with him a year later was more interesting. I'll post that one in the next few days and I guarantee this will make you think. Every time I read them I think if I could visit this psychologist now and tell him he was wrong would be so cool



Age: 5 Years 6 months (My birthday)
Seen: 4-10-68
New Iberia Health Unit

Lisa is a Cerebral Palsy child and was referred to determine if she should start in regular school. Lisa is quite small and I found her too quiet and uneasy. She smiled a little too strongly as though fearful. I noticed minor articulation problems and baby speech. At times it was extremely difficult to understand what she said.

On the Stanford-Binet Lisa attained a mental age of 4 years 1 month for an IQ of 71in the borderline range. This is on the border between Dull, Normal and Mildly retarded. This means that she is not actually retarded but in the slow learner category. It would be good for her to be in a slow learner class if possible or start school a year or two late if no such special class is available. She could be in a Educable Retarded class as long as it contains young children.

I think the mother has done a reasonably good job with Lisa and there seems to be strong affection between the two. The mother, however, is a little too strict and compulsive in her general work with Lisa.  I think if she could to "loosen up" a little and allow Lisa more freedom in small ways, this might make her feel safer.  It might be a good to see mother and child again for 45 minutes a visit or two from now when we can find more time. I don't think it's real urgent, and if Mrs Hebert can encourage Mrs. Landry to loosen up some with Lisa, this may handle the problem.

______



My mom was strict with both of her girls. Mom said he evaluated me for about an hour putting me in a room with blocks.  She was so upset that she went to my Pediatrician and insisted this doctor was wrong! My Pediatrican, Dr. Halphen told my mom she knew me better than anyone else and just do what she has been doing.

I don't ever remember my Mom restricting me in doing anything. I NEVER felt unsafe. Maybe I knew I was different and didn't understand why being a young child so it made me unsure. Maybe I was afraid of him, a stranger.

I started school a year late not because of being "slow and borderline" retarded but because I had surgery.

CP Awareness: My Handy Dandy Tools

From a previous post you are aware that it's Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month.

As I have grown older I've had to let go of my pride and use certain tools including every day items to make my life easier.

I am blessed that I don't need any tools to walk such as a wheelchair, cane, walker etc. However, I do have a little trouble with steps.

My ex once built a ramp to our home in the back. Yes, he had some good intentions. I refused to have one in the front for everyone to see. I don't know why. Maybe my pride. Anyway, the ramp gave me more problems than the steps.  

If it is one or two steps I am okay but when it comes to more steps it is a challenge. I have handrails on our steps.

Fortunately, there are not too many places I go with a bunch of steps like our Church. There are handrails but Hubby is with me so he just holds my hand and I lead the way up the stairs.  He is sorta my support. Or whoever is with me at that time.

I have trouble bending down. I am always dropping something.  I cannot bend from knees because it's difficult for me to stand back u. If I bend from my waist it is hard for me to reach down all the way to the floor and maintain my balance trying to pick up something. A few years ago, my hubby bought me a Grip 'N Grab. It is such an awesome tool. It picks up things as small as a sweet pea and as large as a small hard cover book. I've been thinking about getting another one to put in a different part of the house and  another for outside.   I love it!

Sometimes my clothes get stuck all the way in the back of my dryer or on in the back of my washing machine.  I use BBQ Tongs or a spotted spoon!

For many years I have carried laundry baskets of clothes. I hated it. When I carry something bulky or large, it offsets my balance even more than normal and it is just plain awkward.  I had started to push the basket with my foot from the bathroom to the laundry, about 30 feet.

Then my loving husband bought this totally awesome rolling hamper. 

I am on Aspirin for previous blood clots so I bleed easier if I cut myself. Also, my hands are spastic so sometimes jars and bottles are hard to open. Although I use my Yoshi Blade knife sometimes, these kitchen shears are my tool of choice for cutting, chopping, slicking and opening jars.

So there you go! That's my arsenal of tools that make my life easier.

Share the tools you use to make your life easier, whether you have a disability or not.

As aways thank you for dropping by and go ahead if you like, and leave a comment.

No Use Crying over spilled milk

I just read cpdad and it provoked an idea for a blog post.

He stated how he spilled milk and his loving daughter sweetly offered her help.

CP affects my coordination and I have the same problem with liquids. If I am carrying something with liquid I need to be careful because as I walk it splatters. As long as I don't have to walk a long ways I am okay.  I usually don't fill the container to the top.

If I am in a restaurant or someone else's home, and there is soup or gumbo served, I ask my Hubby to carry it for me. Yes, it is very hard to do and I feel like an invalid but I realize it is better to be embarrassed then be mortified if I'd try to carry it and it goes splattering all over the floor.

I remember when I was with my ex and either my child or I would spill something he would get upset. He would yell at us and tell us how wasteful it was. I would just tell him to get over it. I told him she was a young child and her motor skills were not developed yet and we all do make errors.

I didn't realize how it affected BabyGirl until I had left him and we were alone. One day she was pouring some milk. It went all over the floor and counter.  Yes this time was careless. But I saw the terror in her face. She froze. I just looked at her and said, "Oops, just clean it up!" I think I helped her too. She frantically apologized. I told her it was okay. I remember that deep sigh of relief.

Sometimes when I spill or drop stuff Hubby is like what happened? I just say I spilled. Sometimes he shook his head in exasperation until I told him the story about Babygirl with the spilled milk and it is what it is with me. He spills and drops things too. Maybe not as often but it's always been that way with me. I do try to be careful. I told him he just needs to live with it. It is the way I am. It's not like I like to drop or spill.

Next time you or your loved one spills something, remember that it is not that important.