It was terrifying not being able to hear. I was eventually fitted for hearing aids; they helped somewhat, but I still didn't hear as well as I did before I got sick.
Still don't, but I've learned to adapt to my situation. I know sign language, and I've become very fluent at it. I can hold a conversation with the best of them. :)
At the age of three, I was fitted for leg braces and got my first pair of forearm crutches to help me walk better. I got my first wheelchair when I was four. At the age of five, I had more painful tests to see if my muscualar dystrophy had worsened. Not surprisingly, it had. I kept falling, and it got to the point to where I was getting tired of hurting myself.
Add to this, the seizures. I'd have at least two to three a day; I'd always be sore all over, and I was always tired. Apparently, when I had taken sick, the fever I'd had was so high it literally cooked my brain, causing lesions and scar tissue to build up; these were what was causing the seizures in the first place. Nothing could be done except to be given powerful antiseizure medications, which made me goofy-headed.
It was also discovered that I had learning problems upon entering school. I couldn't read a lick, and when I wrote, it looked worse than chicken scratching. I was immediately placed into a multiply handicapped class, and I was forced to learn things I couldn't fully understand. My grades were terrible: for me, a C was good; I was near or at the flunking level.
That frustrated me to no end: I tried my best, yet I couldn't even begin to compete with kids like my brainy sister, Ronee', who could sail through her classes without as much as cracking a book. School was painfully easy for her while it was nothing but a trial for me. People were always bragging about Ronee' this and Ronee' that, and it got to the point where I couldn't stand my sister because she annoyed me so much.
It wasn't until two years ago when I finally started scoring good grades at school. Thanks to after-school help and tutoring, I soon began improving on my grades, which improved my overall attitude about school. I was now reading and writing (stlil behind my classmates, but I was catching up at last), and school became much easier (not to mention, fun) for me.
Now I love school. I will be going into high school in the fall, and for the first time in many years, I am actually looking forward to the start of school.
My health has gotten worse over these past several years, but at the same time I remain hopeful, hopeful that a cure for my disease will be found in my lifetime. I am still not expected to live beyond the age of 17, but I've already surpassed the predictions put on me by my doctors. I wasn't expected to live beyond the age of five: now I will be fifteen in a little over six months from now, and I am still plugging away in my chair. :) I can breathe pretty good (with my oxygen), and I can still do some things for myself (plus I have my family and my helping dog, "Ginger") to help me if any problems should happen to arise.
The worst thing that can happen to me is this: I can die and wake up to see the Face of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. :) Sounds pretty good, huh? It does to me, especially since I am a born-again Christian and am assured a place in Heaven, where I know I'll get a healing! :) To be able to walk, run, and breathe again without any weakness or problems whatsoever sounds pretty good to a kid in my situation! :)
People ask me all the time how I can be happy with such a bad disease. I tell them I try to look at the here and now, focus more on what I can do (as opposed to what I can't), and I have my faith to back me up. If things get sticky, I can always lean on the Lord, and he never fails me, no matter what I might go through in life!
I have a good support system in my family, my friends, my teachers, even my classmates. I have good doctors who take excellent care of me whnever I fall sick, and I have good friends in many celebrities I have been fortunate to meet (thanks in part to being a part of the MDA family). I have had many exciting experiences in my life, and I consider each day I survive a gift from God. I am indeed blessed beyond measure, and I hope that people can see what good I've done for the world, and not just focus on my outer package. They need to look inside my broken body, see the real Johnny Sandusky. I may be disabled, but I am person, and I have so much left to give in life! :)
"They need to look inside my broken body, see the real Johnny Sandusky. I may be disabled, but I am person, and I have so much left to give in life! :)
What a great write, you've penned and captured the true spirit of your character, what a powerful write...it's wonderful when we see a student finally begin to take interest in his/her school work as well as themselves. Tutoring is great, I've worked with a little boy at school all year to help him be able to advance to the third grade, he came with a smile on his face a few days ago and exclaimed...I made it, I passed! It's a great feeling. I enjoyed how you allowed the reader to see that he is a Christian so whatever may happen, in the end he will be okay, imagine a brand new body from head to toe! Amazing to think about it, isn't it. Enjoyed my friend!
Blessings,
Joyce B.
Johnny is an exceptional kid in many ways. He is a fine example to others, including those who have the normal use of their arms and legs. The child has a big heart. Great inspirational write, Karen. Leave us with a lot to think about. Thank you!
Your story is inspirational. Johnny has known disability all his life, has suffered tremendously, yet, he is still thankful for all the things in his life and has a forward reaching attitude. The picture complements your story wonderfully. To see a young man in a wheelchair reaching with exuberace for the sky is beautiful.
When two men hit the reset button and decide to go out looking for the good in the world, they not only find it but also a lot more.
P.S. The title is listed on Amazon under Look for Something Good by Robert Drews (not by Robert H. Drews)
