My disabled great nephew

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My disabled great nephew - 2/2/2014 10:00:38 AM

Missokyst

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Joined: 9/9/2006
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R. is 33 yrs old today. He was born with 5 holes in his heart which took 12 yrs to completely close over. His birth was difficult as his mother was overweight and her labor took over 40 hours. There was a lack of oxygen when he was born which effected his brain and his mental development is somewhere around age 10. His upper pallet has a severe overbite so once he did learn to talk it is barely understandable. It also effects his ability to chew so they must watch out for possible choking issues. His right leg is permanently bent inward and he must be very careful when he walks so he does not fall over.

And he has worked for Goodwill for 4 yrs. He is a sorter for items coming in. By the end of the day he is exhausted from standing but he still has a smile on his face for anyone who greets him. He will happily tell you about his job if you would care to listen. His mother passed away 4 yrs ago from a stroke and he currently lives with his grandmother. The one thing that stands out for me about R is that he is very open and vocal about his gratitude, for his family, his job, his new home, and the bus drivers who help him get around.

He will always be the measure I hold about the disabled.

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pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding ~Gibran, Kahlil

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”
― Bob Marley

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RE: My disabled great nephew - 2/2/2014 10:06:44 AM

SeekingTrinity

Posts: 1834
Joined: 5/29/2012
From: The 'burbs of Portland, OR
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~FRing it~

Happy birthday to your great nephew!

I worked with developmentally disabled folks for 6 years back in the day and I will say this...

Those folks taught me more about just appreciating being alive and being happy just because you can in spite of all the challenges life throws your way than I think I ever taught them in return. And after all these years, Im still grateful to all those people.

(in reply to Missokyst)

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RE: My disabled great nephew - 2/2/2014 1:18:42 PM

LadyRedRoseToo

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Joined: 3/19/2012
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my 22 yr old son is developmentally delayed and has handicaps due to his premature birth, including cerebral palsy and a severe speech delay. he has been the inspiration for me all these years, fighting to live, never giving up when he has a goal, being loving and forgiving and approaching life with joy at being given another day. he has a mental age of about 5, loves his garbage truck collection, his ipod communication device and the show cops. he has never met a person he didn't like and says hello and smiles at everyone he meets. if you are sad he will comfort you with hugs and will try to cheer you with being a little clown. wouldn't the world be a better place if we all treated each other like that? happy birthday to R, and may your family be blessed with many more years of his special sunshine!

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RE: My disabled great nephew - 2/2/2014 3:08:52 PM

angelikaJ

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Joined: 6/22/2007
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Happy Birthday to R!

Sadly so many people who are disabled have fallen into some pretty big cracks.
If one doesn't have a functioning and supportive family and/or some good solid community supports, leading a happy and fulfilling life can be extremely difficult.

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RE: My disabled great nephew - 2/2/2014 3:25:05 PM

MistressDarkArt

Posts: 5178
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Missokyst

The one thing that stands out for me about R is that he is very open and vocal about his gratitude, for his family, his job, his new home, and the bus drivers who help him get around.

Something we could all aspire to :-)

Happy birthday, R!

(in reply to Missokyst)

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