As a child with a physical disability/deformity, you would think:
I would be cautious and careful right?
Wrong. I was always running around, hyper, cutting up, showing off;
I didn’t know the risks of my behavior.
In 2nd grade, I had bent down really quick to pick up something off the floor, after a sleepover
and instantly I fell to the floor holding my side; I had pulled a muscle.
My friend ended up having to go home early
and I had to lay with a heating pad on my side for the rest of the day and the next day (I think).
After that incident, you think I would’ve slowed down and been more cautious, right?
Wrong again.
I was still running around, hyper, cutting up; being a typical child.
Mom and I were in the neighborhood one time, I was riding my scooter;
we decided to race and when I went to put my foot back on my scooter after pushing it really fast,
my shoelace loop (the loops you tie) got caught on the knob part of my scooter
that adjusts its height, and I fell over, scraping my knees; I couldn’t even walk.
Still, did I learn? Nope.
There were times I fell just by walking on a handicap ramp after rain in new sneakers
because they didn’t have “traction” yet
and ended up with a giant bruise on my tailbone,
burnt bottom of my foot by walking barefoot in the backyard and stepped on dad’s cigarette butt,
splinters in my foot, ants in my pants from sitting in grass near a pile,
I been there and probably done it all, but the worst one was in 9th grade
when I broke my collar bone.
How did I do that, you may ask? Well, let me just begin by saying “Never wear skates in the car.”
I had gone to a skating rink birthday party, and afterward, I was still in “Skating mode,”
where I still wanted to skate, but the rink was closing for the day;
Mom let me wear my skates out to the car so that when I got home, I could skate on the driveway.
When we pulled up in the garage, I went to get out of the car and lost my footing;
I grabbed the handle to “catch myself,” and felt a sharp *POP*
I instantly let go and fell on my butt on the ground. I screamed and cried because it hurt so bad;
I couldn’t even get up on my own to take my skates off.
Dad and my brother had to come out and help me; one of them took off and saved my skates
while the other took me in and put me in my bed.
After going to the orthopedic dr., I found out I had broken my collar bone; I had to wear this strap thing that looked like a bra for your spine, for like the rest of the school year (March-May); at least, I got out of P.E. (not that I needed an excuse, once I got passed Jr. High, they never really pushed me to participate.)
Yes, with a disability, you want to do everything that other people do, you want to fit in, you want to be “normal,” but you also need to stop and think about the risks, weigh the pros and cons, before you do anything. I’m not saying, live your life in fear of doing activities, all I’m saying is slow down and think, do what I didn’t. Learn from my mistakes.
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