@velvetpaws999

2 years ago

What a great inspiration he is! When I was 18, I had a vacation job in a home for physically and mentally disabled children. It was one of the toughest things I've seen. The kids in the "bed" section were of all ages, up to 17 years, but they would never walk.... spend all their existence in a little bed. Their parents had all abandoned them, and nobody else wanted them, either. So the nurses there were the only ones caring for them. One little girl, the size of a one year old, who was actually 9 years old, had also what we called "glass bones", just like this boy. Except she had never had a family, who would believe in her, speak to her... nothing at all. The nurses never talked to the kids, they just cared for their bodily well being: feeding, washing, cleaning up diapers, giving medications. I started to play with the kids, and they began to react to me, smiling mostly, as almost all could not move their body at all. I was sure that these children knew every one and who interacted with them or not. I managed to develop a real relationship with hand signs on my part, and mostly smiles or eye movements from the kids. The nurses and doctors were surprised to see the kids responding to me. It had never occurred to them to try it. I for one will never forget any of these children, they live on in my memory and my heart.

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