Dear Jack, Mark and Kimberly,
From reading the Chicken Soup books I have learned that we are all important and that we can all make a difference. You don’t have to be a celebrity or superhero to have an impact on another person’s life. I have been able to relate to so many of the stories in the Teenage Soul series and have learned a great deal about myself through reading them. I realized that I, too, have a story to tell, a story that might make another teen feel that much less alone.
The older I get, the more I realize how many people struggle with all types of problems in life. The media focuses on gangs, drugs or violence, but there is a different kind of struggle going on today—less talked about, but just as difficult for those involved. For myself and other disabled teenagers, we fight the battle to survive, the battle to be an individual in a society that can be less-than-accepting of “differences.”
When I was five years old I was diagnosed with gastroenteritis and became a prisoner of the medical world, enduring restricted diets and intravenous treatments. I was too young to know the meaning of these words—but there was one issue I did understand and that was the pain of it all. Several years later, I was diagnosed with a debilitating orthopedic disorder that has left me confined to crutches for the past year.
My parents tried to give me the best life possible, but they could not cure the inquisitive stares of my peers. As I grew older, life became harder. I could not eat like everyone else, and I couldn’t play with my peers. Teachers would complain because I was often out ill. People laughed at me. No one understood me. I tried to be strong, but I was usually left feeling like I was in my own little world, alone with no friends in sight.
In an effort to gain control of my body and my illness, I began to search for information about my condition. The Internet became my place of refuge, a place where I wasn’t forced to show my face and be subjected to my daily dose of teasing. I found a group that accepted me, run by an Ohio teenager suffering from osteosarcoma. The group shared our triumphs and tribulations, and the chat room became our place to “get it all out.” We shared stories of being blocked on the sidewalks by older students who called us names like “gimp” or “liar.” The members of the group slowly grew stronger, and soon we were laughing about the same incidents that had once brought us to tears.
Most of the time, I have remained a fighter, but sometimes life gets me to the point where I can’t take it anymore. I fight against being a statistic. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, four thousand teenagers are diagnosed with depression every year as a result of their disabilities. I try hard not to become one of them.
With the help of groups such as the one I found on the Internet, disabled teenagers from around the world have been able to pull themselves above the daunting cries of ignorant peers. We are learning from each other that everyone deserves a chance to be known for what’s on the inside and not only their physical appearance.
The hand that I have been dealt has made me stronger than my peers. I am a fighter. I am brave, mature and intelligent. I am a survivor. I am an advocate for children with disabilities. I am always pushing to make a difference.
I have finally realized that it is okay to be different. It is okay to be an individual. Your books have taught me that I am important and I, too, have a story to tell. I am a fighter and a survivor. I am me.
Sincerely,
Rachel A. Morgan
[Editors’Note: Rachel shared with us an Internet resource she recommends for disability awareness: Band-Aides and Blackboards—a Web site dedicated to growing up with medical problems. http://funrsc.fairfield.edu/~jfleitas/contents.html]
Books that Rachel recommends include:
1. Bethy and the Mouse: A Father Remembers His Children with Disabilities. Donald C. Bakely, Brookline Books, Inc., April 1997.
2. Dancing in the Rain: Stories of Exceptional Progress by Parents of Children with Special Needs. Annabel Stehli, Georgiana Organization, Inc., November 1995.
3. Anna: A Daughter’s Life. William Loizeaux, Arcade Publishing, Inc., February 1993.
4. Until Angels Close My Eyes. Lurlene McDaniel, Bantam Doubleday Dell Books, June 1998.