Inspirational Story Of The Month

(Names And Details Have Been Changed To Protect Privacy.)

She Succeeded Against All Odds

When Helen was born she looked perfect.  As the story goes, she had red-gold hair and sea-green eyes.  And her mother recalls her smile as, so bright, she could shame the sun and a laugh that rolls out like the breaking dawn, and a caring spirit that warms all who know her, one might miss her struggle. She is beautiful, brilliant, and funny. Her small, perfect hands are lovely, and to see them folded in her lap, or softly touching a child's cheek, one might never comprehend her great effort, just to sign her name.

            Helens mom first started noticing something was wrong around puberty.  Her voice began to change but not like most other children.  Slightly breaking up at first it soon became a tremor.  Helen was a gifted singer at the age of only 4.  By 10, her talent was slipping.  By 15, she had almost no voice left at all

Her Voice Would Often Disappear As She Tried To Speak In School

            Helens mom had been a trained singer and worked with her.  Trying to help her speak from her diaphragm instead of her vocal chords.  But Helen never regained her full voice.  At times of stress, she was just about inaudible.

            And it got worse.Helen started having a hard time holding a pen.  Her hand would tighten uncontrollably. By the time she was 20, she almost couldnt write at all.  Only had enough control to barely sign her name.

            But Helen did not quit.  And she succeeded at everything she set her mind to.  She learned to write with her other hand.  And even though her voice was a faint whisper she never lost her sense of humor or drive to succeed.

            She finally found a doctor who was able to give a name to her condition, "dystonia." Although there seemed no reasonable course of treatment, she absolutely refused to give up on her life!

She went back to college at 25, and she was just amazing in her engineering classes, making 4.0s in subjects that I can neither pronounce nor spell. Throughout these incredible achievements, Helen was the first to laugh at herself and to make light of her struggles, as she both worked and went to school.

In the words of Helens mother, During all this time, Helen's faith in God, and in herself, seldom wavered. She knew that she was in the hands of a loving God, and with the love and support of her family, Helen continued to succeed in every endeavor. However, time and the course of her disease, finally made it impossible for Helen to continue without assistance. We are fortunate to live in a country where no one is left behind, unless one chooses to give up. Assistance in funding for school and the tools to succeed were more than available, and now Helen is part of a research program through the National Institute of Health (NIH). There is, now, hope for treatment.

Helen is disabled, but she is not handicapped. Being "handicapped" is an indictment one gives to oneself. When one is disabled, one can still be enabled. The only thing holding a person back is oneself. Helen is proving that one can achieve under extreme difficulty.

As Helen's mother, I will soon be involved in the NIH Dystonia Research Program, along with her, to see if I am a carrier of the gene which causes dystonia. Helen will soon be 29 and, of course, 30 years ago, there was no such thing as genetic testing. I'm glad it did not exist. If I knew that I carried a genetic defect, perhaps I would have made the "proper" decision to not pass on my defective genes. We didn't know in those days. We didn't have those choices.

Would I have chosen not to have this child had I been given that choice knowing her as I do now? I think I would have chosen to give her life. For I would not have missed a moment of this precious life. I would not have missed a single breath, nor a smile, nor a laugh. For a life without Helen would be a poor life indeed. She is my precious, beautiful daughter, a bright shooting star, who has enriched my husband's and my life beyond our wildest dreams.

It is true that Helen has a disability, hidden from view, at first glance. But don't we all have hidden disabilities? Don't we all have that "cannot achieve" disability that we nurture deep inside the dark reaches of ourselves, because of the unkind judgments we collect through life, from teachers, peers, or even sadly, sometimes our parents?

When life seems impossible to me. When dreams seem unachievable to me. I like to look at Helen, and I think, my-my, how pale my life would have been without her. How inspiring is her courage and strength. Helen is my youngest child, and as her name means "light," perhaps her story will light up your life.

Helen is a shining example of what one can achieve in the face of adversity. Helen is proof that IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT. So, strive for excellence. Reach beyond your grasp. Who knows what dreams will become reality, if you only reach for them?

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