I don't know why people think I am such a great person. I mean, they look at me, and they see what all I have experienced or done in my life; and it's like, "Oh, WOW!! She's surely something *SPECIAL*!"
I am just a kid. I only want to be treated normally, but, unfortunately, this isn't always the case.
I mean, look at the experiences I have had: I was born very premature (at birth I weighed just 1 pound and 3 ounces; I am a twin, and I was the smaller of the two), and I wasn't expected to survive; yet, by the grace of God, I somehow did. I also have a lot of health problems, and I have been in and out of the hospital because I have had breathing problems that threatened my life, and I also have had surgery more than once for different things; and I also had "flares", which is where my arthritis acts up and causes intense pain. I can get very sick when I have one of these "flares". I also had peritonitis (busted appendix) when I was six and nearly died from that; and at age 8, on my birthday, I had a stroke. And, to top it all off, I am on crutches and wear leg braces because I have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which was diagnosed when I was five (although I started having the first symptoms at the age of 4 1/2).
Not many people can say they have had experiences like THESE. Let alone, SURVIVE. I wasn't expected to pull through, but somehow, I did. (And people have called me a "living little miracle.")
And I am GLAD I did. If I didn't I wouldn't be here today, writing this.
And I wouldn't have been able to enjoy life.
But despite all of the health problems I have suffered, I have a very good life. I have a family who loves me for who I am, and they are very supportive of me; and I have a lot of friends; and I do very well in school. I have also been persuing my dream, which is to become a famous country singer; and I have been fortunate to have performed at many places, and I have been fortunate to have met many of my favorite stars in both country and Cajun music. I have also sung at the Grand Ole Opry, and I have met a lot of wonderful people as a result of my being a singer.
I also have the love of my Saviour, Jesus Christ; and I am going to go to Heaven because I accepted Him into my life. He has blessed me so much, in a lot of ways, and I owe my life to Him. He was the One who gave me my talents and abilities; and I am glad I am able to bless others with my gifts. I have brought other people to Jesus, including my own family, and that REALLY makes me feel good!!
I only want to be treated as normally as possible. I want people to FORGET that I am on crutches; my crutches and my leg braces AREN'T what makes me *ME*; I am a PERSON FIRST, and my disabilities are SECOND. Yeah, I know it is hard NOT to see my crutches--for one thing, they are BRIGHT PINK!!--, and I know that my leg braces sometimes squeak and drive people insane, but I want people just to forget that fact, and treat me like a normal kid, even though I know I am NOT normal. And another thing: DON'T assume. I DON'T like people talking for me or putting words into my mouth before I say them; chances are, they are going to wind up saying the wrong thing, and they are going to look like an idiot!! And--DON'T treat me like I am younger. I am nine, nine-and-a-half years old, but I am small; and people sometimes treat me like I am a little kid or tell me I am in the wrong grade (and yes, that has happened before, more than once; it is SO EMBARRASSING!!).
And still one more thing: DON'T help me UNLESS I ASK for it. There is NOTHING that bugs me more than people trying to help me when I DON'T need it. I get SO ANNOYED; I may be handicapped, and I may use crutches--or, at times, a wheelchair--, but I AM NOT HELPLESS!!! I can do things for myself, thank you!!!!
Just give me a chance, is all I ask, and if I need help, I WILL ask, but NOT UNTIL THEN.
And still, one more thing: WHY complain about problems you can't control in your life? WHY feel sorry for yourself about something you can't help? This is why I have such a good outlook in life, and besides, I know there are people who have it TONS worse than I EVER will, and I should count my blessings; which is exactly what I do. I try to make the best out of a bad situation, and I think I am a much better person because of this.
Thank you for listening to me. I had to get this out so you know.
--Written by Ronee' Le-Anne Reaux, aged 9 1/2 years; August 2002.
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Author's Note: This is basically a rehash of the first story I did here at AuthorsDen, but this time I told the story through RONEE' 's eyes, as SHE experienced things. I was thinking about updating this story, and this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing this. (This story idea hit me last night, as I was winding down for the day.)
Grab your inner child, and jump into Edie's latest 'puddle', as she takes us for a delightful trip through the magical landscape of a child's imagination. Her wonder-filled poems take the ordinary situations and places around us and stretches them t
