A member of a (fairly) large adoptive family shares her story.
My name is Hala Avanelle Reichard, and I am eight years old. I was adopted from Egypt, in Africa, about two years ago; I was then seven. I will be nine in June.
I am paralyzed from the waist on down; I was born this way. I never knew what it was like NOT to walk without braces on my legs or using forearm crutches; it's just something I have always done, and I also use a wheelchair when I go to places that require a lot of walking; but I usually just use my leg braces and my crutches.
I have one sister, Hannah Kyung Me, who is learning disabled (she is in Special-Needs classes, and she is doing very well in school; she was born in Korea)--she is the oldest at nearly eleven years of age--, and I also have three brothers. They are nearly ten and two years old, and they are all pains in the neck. My brothers are named Shane and Sean--they are twin terrors!--, and Rahid. Rahid is from Iran, and the twins came to the family from China. Like my sister Hannah and myself, the twins and Rahid are disabled. Rahid has emotional problems and is seeing a psychiatrist at the mental health place every week, to help him deal with his anger and his emotions, and the twins both have heart problems and have had surgeries and will probably have more.
We live in Nashville, Tennessee, with our mom, Kay, and our dad, Freddie. Dad works at Wal*Mart, and mom is a teacher at one of the local elementary schools (NOT mine!). We are a happy family, and we get along MOST of the time, but I still fight with my brothers, and sometimes I fight with Hannah; but MOST of the time we get along great! Whenever we fight, mom and dad are always saying that they are going to bump our heads together if we don't quit fighting! We have six cats, all Maine Coons, and their names are Queen Beatrice (she's the mama), and her five kittens are named Quasimoto, QuiQui, Stripey, Mewsie, and Tabitha. We also have a Rottweiler that we named Thor, and he makes a very good guard dog!
I am like most kids my age, but I AM disabled, and at times I feel this is what people see first whenever they meet me. It's the same whenever they see my brothers or my sister, and it really makes me mad. Don't they know that it isn't nice to make comments or make fun of people who are disabled? How would they like it if they were in OUR shoes? I bet they wouldn't like it if WE made fun of THEM!! I am just like any other kid: that is to say, I cry, laugh, have dreams or desires, or do things just like any other kid; only I do some of my stuff sitting down or standing on my crutches or braces! I may have a different way of doing some things (like bowling, as an example!), but I still can do things quite well! I also have hobbies, just like any other kid, and I like to draw, paint, read, bowl, play sports (I am on a disabled baseball league in the summer; our team is called "The Challengers", and last year, we came in third in the state-wide tournament!), go to church (we go to Christ Community Assembly of God Church here in Nashville), and so much more! I may be disabled, but it does NOT mean that my MIND is! I happen to have a BRILLIANT mind, and I am in the Gifted/Talented Class at school! So don't you DARE say that I am stupid because I will prove to you that I am NOT!!
Many people may stare at me or my brothers and my sister, because of our disabilities, but I don't see them whenever I see my brothers and sister. I just see only my brothers and sister, and nothing else! Besides, I wish they would quit making such a big deal of our problems or staring or talking behind our backs, like we aren't even there! They may not realize it, but I can HEAR what they are saying, and a lot of what they are saying is NOT very nice! Don't they have any MANNERS?? I think they are RUDE, and I wish they would just go away and leave us the HECK alone! We aren't hurting anyone!
Well, that is my story. I will write again soon, and maybe my brother Rahid or my sister Hannah will write, too. Until the next time you hear from one of the Reichard bunch, so long!
~Love, Hala Avanelle Reichard, aged 8 1/2 years old.
Only those that are "mentally" disabled, the many jerks of the world, are the ones that will make fun of another and think it is funny...how I love messing with those people when I see how truly thick headed they are, LOL! Yes stooping to their level every now and then does have its rewards...LOL! And excellent Write, Karen, glad I read it...Peace thru Intelligence, ED & Rufuz
Reviewed by P. Michaels
4/3/2004
Karen, I hope your day is getting better. In your earlier comment you stated how awful you felt. I agree with George. The truly disabled are the ones who make fun of other's medical problems. Karen, you have such wonderful stories. I can see them in a special book for elementary children. All you need to do is show what's going on, it would really help children. Believe me, I know. Children can be cruel, but they also can be wonderful. The cruelity comes from ignorance. Don't you see, if you could show what your children are going through, then other children would see and maybe not be so ignorant.
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