Not always a smart ass.

As I was scanning channels last night, I happened upon a movie that kept me up until 3 o'clock this morning.
It was called "My Left Foot". It was the story of Christy Brown (a man), and it was a true story..

It reminded me of the days I worked for the local school district. I was a personal nurse for severe/profound special needs children.. It was a job that truly touched my heart.. Most of the kids were autistic.. But it was a mix of many different disabilities.. Developmentally delayed, physically handicapped, children that were products of addicted mothers, some kids that you would see and call "vegetables", and kids affected with cerebral palsy..
I would still be doing this job if it was financially possible (special needs nursing, doesn't pay near enough).

Every one of these kids touched me in their own special way..
We lost two of my girls while I was working at the school.. People who don't understand or may even be afraid of a special needs child might say "they're better off".. Well, nope.. All of these people have a purpose.. And losing those girls was devastating to me.. They were full of personality, and I couldn't wait to see them every day..

Why this post? Because the movie flooded me with the memories (I can't begin to tell you how much I miss the kids)..
Christy Brown was born with cerebral palsy (note the link to the United Cerebral Palsy foundation on the right side of my blog)..
C.P. is one of the cruelest diseases to me.. It is damage to the motor control center of the brain.. Most C.P. patients have spastic movements, speech impediments, drooling, they're unable to walk well, if at all.. They would look like what most people would call a mentally handicapped person..
Here's the thing.. They are not mentally handicapped at all.. In fact, unless they have other disabilities, they are just as intelligent as you or I.. But they are trapped in body that doesn't work..
In public they are treated like a retard (sorry about the politically incorrect term)..

My first job was with severe/profound adults, at Crosspoint.. Tom was one of my favorite clients.. Admittedly I was scared of him at first.. I started that job when I was 19, and I didn't know anything about mental illness.. He always smiled when he came in and with that smile came a stream of drool.. I avoided eye contact and absolutely had no intention of shaking his hand.. But as my time at Crosspoint progressed and I learned his speech patterns, I realized he was a pretty smart guy with a sense of humor that put Robin Williams to shame.. He refused to use a wheel chair or walk with a cane.. He stumbled through Danville, with pride in who he was.. Something many of us can't do..
I don't know what ever happened to Tom.. Last time I saw him was 15 years ago at the DACC springfest.. You see, the only job he could get was picking up garbage with one of those little poker sticks..
I hugged him, wiped the drool off my arm and told him it was good to see him.. But I could see kids (and sadly adults) staring..

Christy Brown was treated like a freak until he was about 8.. All of his limbs were basically useless except his left foot.. With it, he wrote the word MOTHER and a new world opened up for him.. He is a published author, a gifted painter, and a husband..
If you get the chance to see this movie, take it.. Daniel Day Lewis will stun you with his portrayal of Christy Brown..

In the mean time, when you see someone who has a disability that might otherwise scare you, say hi.. Or at least shoot them a smile.. It may not seem like it on the outside, but inside every human shell, is a soul..