A personal experience
Cynthia L. Cuchna *
Most people would say, "It would be terrible to be born with a birth defect." Well, I know firsthand that it really isn't so terrible. I have been blessed with family and friends who have not let me feel that my disability should get in the way of reaching my goals. My parents have never let me use my handicap as a way of getting out of responsibilities. I have the same responsibilities around the house as my sisters and if I don't take care of them I am equally disciplined just as my sisters would be if they didn't do their share of the work. I feel my oldest sister, Sherri, has helped me the most in believing that I am just as capable as anyone else in doing things for myself. If I would ask her to get me a book or a glass of water or something, Sherri would probably say something like, "Get it yourself, you aren't helpless!" I wouldn't want it any other way between us.
People have asked me if I feel my sisters are allowed to go more places and do more things than me. I don't feel that I've missed out on any of the experiences my sisters have had. I go to football games, movies, go shopping, and go to the local disco just like my sisters.
The only problem I have is that most of my friends live too far away from me to just "drop by" whenever they feel like it. My friends are my classmates from the high school I had to attend, which is outside my local school district and is the only school in the county capable of handling my special problems. We can't even call one another very often because it is long distance.
Hospitals have been a vey important part of my life, since I was in and out of them quite frequently when I was young. I never really minded going into the hospital because the doctors and nurses were always nice and I knew they would take good care of me. Along with hospitals comes bills. Our family has never been eligible for financial aid because my parents always made "too much money." I know that at times it has been tough for my parents to make ends meet because I am such an "expensive kid." Sometimes I feel guilty about having my parents pay such big bills just because of me.
I have been in braces ever since I was four years old. I know that they have helped me considerably, but I often have negative feelings about my braces. There was a time when I was unable to wear my braces due to pressure sores. I like being out of them because my clothes weren't torn by the locks on my braces and I liked getting dressed faster. I thought I looked prettier without all of that plastic and metal sticking out of my clothes. I am finally starting to realize that I look better in them because they make me straighter. I don't look like I'm a "pretzel" when I'm in them. I have greater mobility in them, which enables me to do things and go places that I couldn't in my wheelchair. Even though the negative feelings may resurface in the future, I plan on wearing my braces a lot more than I have for the past two years.
When I go out to a movie or go shopping, sometimes people stare at me. This has never really bothered me. It just shows me that they are interested in my disability and are curious to see how my braces, crutches and/or wheelchair works. I especially like it when little children come up to me and ask, "What happened to you?" I am glad that children aren't afraid to ask questions. I wish that adults would open up and ask, because I would be more than willing to tell them about anything they would want to know.
My plans for the future are to graduate from college with a degree in psychology. I think that I would like to be a school psychologist because I love children. I know that the road ahead will have some rough spots, but I know that I can make it with the love and support of my family behind me.
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