Living with Cerebral Palsy.

“I am sorry Mr. and Mrs Rockett, we have to pull the plug on your son.” Those were the words that the Doctors said to my parents on no fewer then five occasions twenty-one years ago. That was not acceptable for them and they refused. The Doctors tried one more thing. Miraculously, my vital signs started to incrementally improve., so much so that after three months in an incubator, I was able to go home. I had come back from deaths door but had to pay a comparatively small price. After noticing that I was not progressing as a “normal” toddler should, I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder known as Cerebral Palsy.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy is caused by by abnormalities in the parts of the brain that control muscle movement. In my case, the main cause of the abnormalities was due to the fact that I was born three months premature and had a severe lack of oxygen get to my brain which caused bleeding on both sides of my brain. As a result of this bleeding scar tissue built up and therefore the signals that my brain sends my muscles are blocked and my muscles cannot perform their desired functions.

http://news.wustl.edu/news/PublishingImages/CPBrainProtector.jpg. The brain of someone with Cerebral Palsy. The red circle is surrounding the scar tissue, which is what causes brain signals to be blocked,

Signs of Cerebral Palsy

• Decreased muscle tone or overly rigid muscles
• Muscle spasms
• Involuntary crossing of the legs
• Trouble walking, talking, rolling over
• Unable to sit without using both hand for support
• Bad Motor Skills

Cerebral Palsy Statistics

• Cerebral Palsy is evident in most children between the ages of 12-18 months. (In my case, my parents noticed something was wrong at 13 months)
• There are currently 17 million people worldwide who have Cerebral Palsy
• One out of every 1500 babies is born with Cerebral Palsy
• One out of every 3 babies born with Cerebral Palsy cannot walk
• 1 out of every 5 babies born with Cerebral Palsy cannot talk
• There are six types of Cerebral Palsy(I have the type called “Spastic quadriplegic”, which means that all four of my limbs are somewhat disabled, especially my right hand, and my muscles are extremely stiff.

A child with Spastic Cerebral Palsy.

The child is exhibiting some classic signs of Spastic Cerebral Palsy: Low muscle mass, floppy looking, and he cannot hold himself up without being assisted.

Hopefully after reading this blog, my readers will come away with some knowledge of Cerebral Palsy but they will also realize that even though, I was born with this disability, people with disabilities, including myself, have extremely fulfilling lives. It is not all doom and gloom. Hopefully, after reading this blog, the next time you see me, or anyone with a disability for that matter, instead of thinking how bad their life must be you just smile and give them a wave.

picture of guy in wheelchair proving that despite his disability, he doesn’t let it stop him from living life

This picture of the guy in wheelchair is so I can illustrate that even being in a wheelchair cannot stop someone from doing amazing things.

 Guy in wheelchair with no legs finishing a race.

Even when facing adversity, this guy didn’t let anything stand in the way of his goals.

 

Character Development

It has been has been said that the two things in life that are guaranteed are death and taxes, however, I think that statement needs to be changed. There are three things in life that are guaranteed: you will die, you will have to pay taxes, and at one point in your life you will both hear and tell a good story. However, even though everyone who has a pulse can agree that they love a good story, many people disagree on what the most important aspect of a story is. For writers like Eudora Welty, the most important aspect of a story is the plot, and for directors like Quentin Tarantino, the most important aspect is the “character-driven” stories. I would never thought I would say this because I am not a big fan of his movies because I find them overly gory and gruesome, but I agree with Tarantino that character development is the most important part of a story because it enables you to become emotionally invested in the story.

“Shawshank Redemption”

One of my favorite stories, which was adapted into my favorite movie of all time was “Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King. “Shawshank Redemption” tells the story of a man named Andy who is wrongly convicted of killing his wife and sentenced to life in prison. Not only is it a great story because it is a true story but also because the character development.

In the movie, the main character Andy is painted as an authentically smart, nice guy. The movie and book not only show his life at the prison but also the fact that he was a banker on the outside, which shows that he was a normal guy. The movie and book also go into the fact that Andy proposed to his wife under a huge Oak tree at a park in the dead of winter. This shows that Andy had a romantic side. Thirdly, the movie and book, describe how Andy helped another inmate get his GED, in order to graduate High School, while he was behind bars. This shows that Andy was capable of helping people. Thanks to this great character development, this caused me as a viewer to feel compassion and sympathy for Andy and become captivated by his struggles. I could watch “Shawshank Redemption” over and over again, and currently have seen it at least ten time.

Tim Robins and Morgan Freeman in the movie. “Shawshank Redemption.” Tim Robins plays, the main character Andy, who is convicted of killing his wife. Morgan Freeman plays his best friend and fellow inmate named Red.

                   “UNBROKEN”

An example of where, in my opinion, the character development fell short was in the new movie “Unbroken”which was adapted from the book by Laura Hillenbrand. The movie was such a let down in comparison to the book. Hillenbrand did a masterful job in giving all characters layers upon layers of a back story, which not only made the book unbelievably captivating but also helped created imagery for the readers.

The movie failed to develop any characters to the extent that I was even the least bit emotionally invested in the movie. I will never watch “Unbroken” again.

This picture shows Louie Zamperini, the main character in “Unbroken”  at a Japanese prison camp.