Living with Spina bifida: A poets Story written by American Poet Robert M. Hensel

[Robert M.]

Roberts experiences …Living with Spina Bifida in his own words…

I grew up with a birth defect known as Spina Bifida, a disability that
affects my sense of balance, causing me to walk with a limp. Not only
does it affect the function of the legs, but it also has an impact on
the kidneys, causing them to deteriorate.

The disability has had its ups and downs.

As a young child, I can remember the way other children would look at
me and stare because of the way that I walked. There were many times
that my schoolmates would laugh at me and call me names simply because
of their lack of understanding of why I was a little different,
especially back in the mid 70s and early 80s. Children then were just
unwilling to take the time to learn why one of their classmates might
walk, speak or seem noticeably different from themselves.

Now that I am an adult, I have noticed that the stares and names have
begun to fade, and judgments that once were negative have begun to
turn toward acceptance.

The signing of the ADA has played a great part in breaking down some
of those barriers that, as a child, left me to fight a war that seemed
to have no end. Now I look beyond what I can’t do and focus on what I
CAN.

I have learned that limitations open doors that have been closed,
showing other ways to meet our needs. I have always looked at life as
a challenge, grasping each obstacle with open arms. There is nothing
in this world that comes easy. I must stand tall and look forward, to
be ever so ready for what still lies ahead.

People often feel sorry for those who were born with some type of
disability. But their compassion is misplaced. Yes, I may not be able
to run as fast or perform certain tasks, but my disability gives me a
better look at life and all that’s around me.

I want to be seen not as a disability but as a person who has, and
will continue to, bloom. So I decided to become an advocate on behalf
of disabled Americans, to fight for our rights that for so long have
been ignored.

I feel that it only takes one powerful voice to change the minds of
many nations, and as long as I have a mouth to use and a mind to think
I will continue to work to bring peace upon the disabled community.


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