Academic Master

English

Personal Essay

Tension usually exists between minority and majority groups: the blacks and the whites, the gays and the straight, women and men, and the poor and the rich. Though discrimination has diminished over the previous centuries still it is a thing that most people that are odd from the great society fear often. I understood this by not only being a society’ member but also through being part of the small group in the community that was likely to feel this fears. The road accident made me have an injury, which almost caused me to be part of the handicapped people. Walking like other people in the society was my greatest desire.

After my birth, my mother boarded a car to take me home from the hospital, little did she understand that this was a journey that was to change my life especially the physical appearance. Having told my father that she was coming back, she took a vehicle and her next discovery was that she was in the hospital again. After her recovery, she remembered the tragic accident that involved a car she had hired and a lorry. This accident made me look like certain sorts of Amazonian frog species because of various orthopedic deformities. My joint and legs were temporarily improved with surgery, cast as well as metalwork. These issues resulted from the multiple bone fractures and muscular dystrophy that manifested themselves as muscle weakness most of the time.

Elementary school environment provided a happy atmosphere for me. I understood well when I joined the school that I was not walking like other students however mostly it made me receive special attention from the teacher. For instance, I was allowed to sit on the chair as others students sat on the floor as it was the norm of the school. Also, my condition made me take a wagon ride along the hall rather than walking down the hallway. Others children in the school felt jealous because of my special treatment. I felt I was the superstar among the students especially when I was not punished for doing mistakes in the school.

Separation of special or handicapped student policy was not a great idea for me. Even though I was to be comfortable studying with the student who had same conditions as me, I felt like that was so motivating. I understand that most people thought and assumed that this separation was to be the best way of making students to feel comfortable and avoid discrimination from other students. However for my case staying with students who walk well motivated me that one day I was to be like them. I knew the special treatment made the other children in the school to love me more making me feel more comfortable than staying with other students that were in my condition.
However I loved school, I was native and shy. Most of the time my teacher had a problem having me communicate with her. I felt she was a stranger. I never open up to explain any challenge that I was facing. For instance, I wrote my classwork slows especial when I was having general body weakness while I was in the class or side effects from the drugs I took before going to school such as a headache. My response to the teacher’s question towards my well being was crying. I often cried when I was not feeling well but never communicated my problem. This made our counseling master and my class teacher visit our home.

At home getting out was rare except time Saturday when we were going to church. My parents took care of me and never allowed me to walk out to any other place. They preferred I stay indoors and play with my elder sister. I did not even know the name of our immediate neighbor. My parent feared that I may injure myself when playing with other students or face discrimination from the children I was to play with aw well as people in the society. I always learned to talk to my mother of any problem and developed the attitude that she was the only refugee. All other neighbors were strangers.
Since my father was an orphan and without siblings, we rarely received visitors in our house. My grandparents from the side of my mother were the only visitors we received in our family. Since they were Christian missionaries in Africa they rarely came home and most of their other children stayed in Africa except my mother. The Christmas period is the only time we reunited with them. Therefore, I rarely interacted with other relatives, my entire life revolved around my nuclear family.
On Saturday, after church service, at 3 pm we hurried left the church. This was unusual, we were almost the last people, last people, most of the time. “Mr. Peter Rough and Mrs. Kilm have arrived”. I was shocked hearing the name of my teacher.
As my custom was I hid in my bedroom, leaving my parents talking with my teacher. I heard a voice from far “do you allow your child interact with other people? You need to understand a sick student like her needs to develop communication skills with other people so as to feel she is part of the society. Do not lock your kid indoors because of her condition”, my teacher explained. After some days, my mother allowed us to play with other neighborhood kids.
At the age of twelve my neighbor, a medical doctor, suggested to my parents that I go for a surgical procedure that included bone plating and hip replacement. He said that this condition was reversible since it was not a congenital malformation and my bones had the ability to regenerate Three months after this doctor having the deep discussion with my parent, I was taken to the theater for surgery. Though naïve over this procedure, I had hope that after healing I was to walk like other children. This procedure resulted in what I felt was a dream.
Two years later I donated my wheelchair to the physically challenged in the hospital. My legs no longer had a weakness. My muscles regenerated making providing my legs with enough support to stand and walk. The plaiting and a hip replacement made my bones once more strong. Motivated by the walking students in the school I learned on to walk over a short period, though at first, it was difficult. My mother describes this as returning to who I was at birth before I had an accident. I felt a new experience after years of using a wheelchair (Beaty and Hunter). My earnest desire was guaranteed at last.
It is true that separating children in school separating physically challenged students aids in defending them from discrimination, however, letting them learn with other students can motivate them to desire walking. My experience with waking students in school made me try often to walk like them even before the surgical procedure. Even after this procedure, it made my practice more easy since they assisted me practices an extra mile apart from the practice I did during weekends with the physiotherapist back at home. Currently, I walk like other students, having realized that I am a good football. I play with minimal complications and I love hiking as well.

Work Cited

Beaty, Jerome, and J. Paul Hunter. New Worlds of Literature. Norton, 1989.

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