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An Essay: My Sister Is Mentally Retarded (by Shaniqua Armstrong, aged 10) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Friday, December 30, 2005
Rated "G" by the Author.
A young girl writes about her older sister, aged 13, who is severely mentally handicapped.
Hi! My name is Shaniqua Diamond Armstrong, and I am ten years old. I live i Murfreesboro, Tennessee (near Nashville), with my family, which consists of my mama and daddy, my two little brothers Peyton and Manning (they're twins; they're six), and my older sisters Quenisha (12) and LaTressha, who is twenty. I also have another sister, LaKenya, who is thirteen, but she doesn't live with us. She lives in an institution for severely handicapped people.
You see, she is severely mentally retarded. She is also severely physically handicapped.
LaKenya may be thirteen, but she is more like an infant. She can't sit up without help, and she can't walk OR talk. She only makes noises, and her noises are happy or sad, depending on how she is feeling or what she is experiencing at the time. She has always been in a specially-made wheelchair, and she is fed by a tube in her belly because she can't chew or swallow without running the risk of her choking. In addition, LaKenya has to wear diapers because she isn't toilet-trained. (She probably never will be; she is just TOO disabled.)
People often ask me if LaKenya is able to understand anythiing. Well, she IS aware of love and attention (she just LOVES people!), she loves music, different things, really, but she is so retarded she is not really aware of her condition or how other people react to her when they first see her. But I have to admit that, even with all her physical/mental problems, my sister is still a very sweet, loving, happy-natured child who laughs/smiles often, and we love taking her care of her when she is home on days like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The reason why LaKenya is in an institution in the first place is because of Mama. Mama has high blood pressure, and her trying to take care of US AS well as LaKenya has taken a toll on her health and well-being. Mama was near the breaking point and she was to the point of collapse. So this was why she and daddy made the heartbreaking decision to have LaKenya committed to the institution because they just could no longer cope with her physical needs around the clock. I get sad whenever I think of this because it's like Mama doesn't even LOVE my sister, and she would much rather have her there at the institution instead of being home with us, where we could love on her and take care of her. But Mama DOES like it when LaKenya comes home for holiday visits 'cause then we look...well, somehow NORMAL...; but I can very easily see the strain on Mama's face from caring for such a severely handicapped child.
People also often ask me if I love my sister. I happen to think that this is a stupid question 'cause it's like they think that I CAN'T love her because of her being so retarded. They think that she is nothing more than a big live doll or some toy when she is a REAL PERSON with FEELINGS. Now, her feelings may not be like most people's, but she DOES know when she is happy or sad, and she CAN tell when she is feeling sick or scared. She also feels love, sadness, or even pain, and she can tell in her own special way when people are being mean on her or if they treat her right. She can give love back to us in her own special way, and also show love to the other most important people in her world. She may be retarded, yes, but she is NOT THAT retarded to where she CAN'T FEEL!
The fact is that I DO love her, and whenever I change her diapers, dress her, or help her with her feedings, the love I feel for LaKenya washes over me, and then I feel good. I feel good because I am helping my older sister feel good, and I then can act like her mama, and...it is very good practice for me when I become a mama in the future!! :)
You teach as you tell, Karen. The fountain of your imagination keeps on coming up with more and more truths. Thank you for sharing them. Happy New Year to you. Amour et paix. Ton ami de la C-B, Canada,
She can give love back to us in her own special way, and also show love to the other most important people in her world. She may be retarded, yes, but she is NOT THAT retarded to where she CAN'T FEEL!
And we can feel the love and compassion in this story.
A sad, but true aspect of life. There really are no answers as to who comes out of the womb in sound mind and physical perfection. To see that wheelchair pic above this essay makes one stop and think about how fortunate they are to be mentally and physically sound. This is a good note to go out on. The healthy ones who are into self-pity need to read this and realize how so much worse things could be. This little girl child will never get a chance at a normal life. I can't imagine a child not being able to swing in the park or grasp the Santa concept. Thanks for the essay today, Karen Lynn. Happy New Year to you and your pen twin. I have enjoyed you both this year!
A very sweet letter and so true, there is no feeling as great as love. Have a happy new year, Karen. We can't wait for your return in a few days.
Tons of Love and thousands of hugs, Birgit and Roger
A wicked Cajun Fairy named Robes Pierre entered the impenetrable Magical doll land of Sha Bebe. Queen Faustina, the ruler of the doll land, thought she had destroyed him, but he's back! Will the doll land survive his evil ways?
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
