A young boy who has epilepsy talks about himself and his life; and also talks about his family, the Pearsons. Ash and his family live in Texas.
My name is Ashford ("Ash") Milton Pearson, Jr., and I am 13 years old. I am the youngest "natural" child in my family. I have an older brother (Brandt Paul; he is 15), and I also have an older sister, Sapphire Ronee, who is 14.
Besides my two older sibs, there are also six adopted kids in our family, making for a total of nine kids in our family; and they range in age from 6 on up to 11 years. All are also physically handicapped. (I am handicapped, too, but I have what is known as an "invisible" handicap: that is, you can't see it on my outside; but it is still there, inside me, just the same. But sometimes you see the result..I have epilepsy, and I sometimes have seizures. I take medication to help keep these "seizures" under control.)
Two of my brothers and sisters have cerebral palsy (the twins, Malik and Miracle), one is paralyzed because of spina bifida (Hayleigh), one is blind (Henry), one is deaf and uses sign language (Jordan; Jordan is a girl), and one (Jamar) has severe asthma and allergies; and he sometimes has major problems with his breathing. (He is always going to the emergency room to get a shot or some oxygen, and he has to wear oxygen at night, when he goes to bed, because his asthma is worst at night.)
I am kinda' small for my age, and I am very skinny. I have wild, bushy red hair and freckles on my face and arms, blue eyes, and big ears that stick out like handles. (I kinda' look like Bozo the clown, I think.) I am NOT that handsome, and I sometimes get teased by kids about how I look at school.
But despite my having epilepsy, I am a normal kid. I just can't do some things because my seizures put me at risk, and besides, I am a quiet, unassuming kid anyway. I like to be by myself a lot of the time, and I seem to prefer it that way. I like to read and build model spaceships (I am presently building a model of the space shuttle, "Columbia", the one that blew up this past Saturday; what an awful thing to happen; and it happened over north-central Texas, too, where I happen to live; I live in Fort Worth), and I also like to watch tv (I especially like "Spongebob Squarepants" and "Ahh! Real Monsters"). I also like to draw and write stories (mostly action stuff; I have created this super hero called "Blazin' Cheetah"; he moves really fast, and he thwarts his archenemies with his speed and quick wit).
But I don't have many friends because of my seizures; and I think that is sad. I can't help the fact that I have epilepsy; and besides, I DO take medication to try to keep them under control. If I didn't, I would have many more seizures than usual, and I wouldn't be able to function because I would keep having seizures; and that wouldn't be cool now, wouldn't it??
Well, that is about it for now. Maybe I will write later. Gotta' go now! 'Bye!
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.
