AND SHE ANSWERED, "HAVING OUR SON BORN WITH ALL THOSE

DEFECTS THAT REQUIRED 37 OPERATIONS TO CORRECT.”

| WASN’T SURPRISED BY HER ANSWER. BUT | ALSO KNEW SHE
HAD A STRONG FAMILY, A DEVOTED HUSBAND, AND THREE
OTHER CHILDREN WHO WERE BORN HEALTHY AND HAVE BEEN
LOVING SIBLINGS TO HER SON. SO ! ASKED HER, ”ALL RIGHT,
WHAT WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED IN YOUR

LIFE?”

AND SHE ANSWERED, "HAVING OUR SON BORN WITH ALL THOSE

DEFECTS THAT REQUIRED 37 OPERATIONS TO CORRECT.”

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LET ME TE&L YOU ANOTHER STORY ABOUT AN ADOLESCENT,
ANOTHER FORMER PATIENT OF MINE.

THIS ONE IS ABOUT A YOUNG MAN NAMED CHRISTOPHER. | MET
LITTLE CHRISTOPHER ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO WHEN HE WAS ONLY

4 DAYS OLD. AND HE WAS A MESS.

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A MAJO. 6 Aad Thee pe testiurwe OF LECT
HE HAD N@*Q9MNM. AND HE WAS A FLOPPY BABY. HE LOOKED

LIKE HE MIGHT BE MILDLY RETARDED. THREE OTHER
PHYSICIANS HAD DECIDED THAT CHRISTOPHER WOULD NOT BE
WORTH THE EFFORT AND THE COST OF REPARATIVE SURGERY.
AND THEY TOLD CHRISTOPHER’S MOTHER SOMETHING THAT
NOBODY CAN EVER PREDICT: THAT IS, THE KIND OF LIFE A CHILD

IS GOING TO HAVE.

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CHRISTOPHER HAD A LEARNING DISABILITY. FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING, HE NEEDED A LOT OF HELP AND A LOT OF LOVE.

AND HE GOT BOTH.

CHRISTOPHER’S FAMILY HAD STARTED OUT PRETTY MUCH LIKE
MOST AMERICAN FAMILIES. REALLY, | THINK YOU CAN MEET
PEOPLE LIKE HIS MOTHER AND FATHER ALMOST EVERY DAY

ANYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY.

BUT THEY HAVE A SPECIAL ADVANTAGE: THEY’VE HAD

CHRISTOPHER.

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CHRISTOPHER HAS TAUGHT THEM A GREAT DEAL ABOUT LIFE.

AS A DISABLED CHILD, THEN AS A DISABLED ADOLESCENT HE

MADE THE REST OF HIS FAMILY...

ABLE TO CARE DEEPLY ABOUT EACH OTHER...

ABLE TO GIVE EACH OTHER GENUINE, UNABASHED LOVE AND

AFFECTION...

_ AND MADE THEM ABLE TO EXTRACT FROM THEIR OWN HEARTS

AND SPIRITS THE FINEST, PUREST INSTINCTS OF HUMANITY

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CHRISTOPHER BROUGHT ABOUT AN EXTRAORDINARY CHANGE IN
THE LIFE OF THIS OTHERWISE ORDINARY FAMILY. HE HAD
ENRICHED IT SO, THAT HIS FAMILY MADE A MOMENTOUS
DECISION. THEY MOVED TO A LARGER HOUSE ON A FARM
OUTSIDE OF TOWN AND ADOPTED 12 MORE RETARDED CHILDREN.
THEY BROUGHT THOSE KIDS INTO A SNUG, LOVING HOME, WHERE
EVERYONE GROWS UP WITH A RATHER SPECIAL, RATHER
PRECIOUS ABILITY TO CARE VERY DEEPLY ABOUT THE PEOPLE

SITTING ON THEIR RIGHT AND THEIR LEFT.

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WHEN CHRISTOPHER ENTERED ADOLESCENCE HE JOINED THE
BOY SCOUTS. HE TOLD ME ABOUT IT DURING A VISIT TO MY
OFFICE AT THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA. HE
SAID THAT HE HAD A GREAT AMBITION. HE HOPED ONE DAY TO

BE AN EAGLE SCOUT.
YOU SEE, CHRISTOPHER DID NOT REALLY ACCEPT THE FACT

THAT HE WAS A DISABLED ADOLESCENT WITH LIMITATIONS ON

HIS PERSONAL LIFE AND AMBITIONS.

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I SAID, *>CHRISTOPHER, I’M TICKLED THAT YOU’VE JOINED THE
SCOUTS. AND ! WANT YOU TO PROMISE TO TELL ME WHEN YOU

BECOME AN EAGLE SCOUT. I WANT TO BE THERE WHEN YOU GET

YOUR BADGE.

HE PROMISED HE WOULD TELL ME. AND HE DID

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A FEW YEARS LATER | WENT FROM WASHINGTONTO 7 Howe Mae”

Pewee TO A LITTLE CEREMONY IN WHICH I PINNED THE
EAGLE SCOUT BADGE ON MY FRIEND CHRISTOPHER. HE STOOD
ON THE STAGE AND THANKED HIS PARENTS, HIS SCOUTMASTER,
HIS DOCTOR, HIS FIVE HEALTHY, NORMAL SISTERS, AND HIS 12
ADOPTIVE BROTHERS AND SISTERS. HE THANKED US ALL FOR
THE HELP AND ENCOURAGEMENT WE’D GIVEN HIM SO THAT HE
COULD ACHIEVE HIS AMBITION OF BEING AN EAGLE SCOUT. |

THOUGHT WE ALL SHOULD HAVE THANKED HIM.

134
CHRISTOPHER WAS A TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF A "DISABLED,
HANDICAPPED” ADOLESCENT. OF COURSE, IT’S OUR
TEXTBOOK...NOT HIS. AND THANK GOODNESS FOR THE

DIFFERENCE.

THESE TWO YOUNG PEOPLE -- PAUL AND CHRISTOPHER -- ARE
JUST TWO OF A LARGE NUMBER OF DISABLED CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENTS THAT I’VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO KNOW AND TO

HELP DURING MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE IN MEDICINE.

135
THEY ARE ALL VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE TO ME. THEY WERE ALL
BROUGHT TO ME BECAUSE THEY WERE IN SOME WAY HURT OR
DAMAGED OR INCOMPLETE. THEY WERE, IN THE EYES OF

MEDICINE AND SOCIETY, TOO,

DISABLED...HANDICAPPED...IMPERFECT...DIFFICULT... THE SAME
TERMS SEEM TO BE APPLIED BY SOCIETY AT ONE TIME OR

ANOTHER TO ALL ADOLESCENTS.

136
BUT I’VE LEARNED IMPORTANT THINGS FROM EVERY ONE OF
THEM. AND I’VE HAD TO ASK MYSELF, "JUST HOW COMPLETE
AND ABLE AND PERFECT AM I, IF THEY CAN TEACH ME SO MUCH
ABOUT THE WONDER OF LIFE?” AND THE ANSWER IS QUITE
HUMBLING, WHICH IS A REACTION NOT COMMONLY FOUND

AMONG SURGEONS.

137
NOW, THERE IS A DANGER IN ROMANTICIZING ILLNESS AND
DISABILITY. THAT’S NOT A HEALTHY THING TO DO. AND I HOPE
YOU DON’T THINK THE STORIES OF MY TWO YOUNG FRIENDS
WERE ROMANTIC OR FANCIFUL. THEY AREN'T. QUITE THE

OPPOSITE. THEY ARE VERY REAL YOUNG MEN.
THE WAY THESE ADOLESCENTS TRIUMPHED OVER

DISADVANTAGE AND DISABILITY MADE ME ASK AGAIN ”WHICH

OF US IS DISABLED?”

138
IS IT THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY WHO
RESOLUTELY NEGOTIATES THE SCHOOL HALLWAYS AND STAIRS
SO AS NOT TO BE LATE FOR ANYTHING? OR IS IT THE THERAPIST
WHO SEES THAT YOUNG MAN ONLY AS A DISABLED VICTIM OF

THE DISEASE.

139
IS IT THE MILDLY RETARDED YOUNG WOMAN WHO IS IN
PERPETUAL MOTION, CONSTANTLY DOING A HUNDRED-AND-ONE
LITTLE CHORES FOR HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS. OR IS IT HER
TEACHER WHO METICULOUSLY CONCENTRATES ONLY ON A

HANDFUL OF BASIC SKILLS.

140
IS IT THE TEENAGER WITH IMPAIRED VISION, NEARLY BLIND, BUT
STRUGGLING TO LEARN PIANO? OR IS IT THE NEIGHBOR WHO

SAYS SHE CAN’T PUT UP WITH THE NOISE FOR ONE MORE DAY?

141
| SUPPOSE IT WOULD BE NICE TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT I CAME
ToOOAY

HERE 6-E4S4GNG TO DELIVER A BRAND-NEW MESSAGE. BUT |

CAN MAKE NO SUCH CLAIM. MY MESSAGE IS REALLY VERY OLD.

THE TEXT IS FROM THE ETHICS OF ARISTOTLE, WHO MADE THIS

 

LITTLE OBSERVATION SOME 2400 YEARS AGO. I DON’T ALWAYS
AGREE WITH ARISTOTLE, BUT I’LL NEVER QUIBBLE ON THIS

OBSERVATION: ~

ARD1C1E.
“THE NATURE OF MAN,” RE SAID, “IS NOT WHAT HE WAS
BORN —~ AS, BUT WHAT HE WAS BORN FOR.”
\

142
AS MORE AND MORE OF OUR ADOLESCENTS ARE ALL TOO

READILY DISMISSED FOR WHAT THEY WERE BORN AS, WE NEED

 

TO EMPLOY THE BEST OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT, BREATHED INTO US
BY GOD, TO SEE THAT THEY CAN BECOME ALL THAT THEY WERE

BORN FOR.

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