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Open Your Minds #40: Osteogenesis Imperfecta ("Brittle Bone Disease"--by Brianna, 6) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
A young girl copes with having a significant disability that has severely stunted her growth and has had her put into the hospital numerous times.
My name is Brianna Rae Thibodeaux, and I am 6 years old. I am in a wheelchair because I have bones that break easily. I cannot walk but for short trips; and then when I do, it's on crutches.
I have a disease called "brittle bone disease" (mommy knows the real name of the disease; I don't know how to say it). My bones are brittle, and they break very easily. Because of this, I cannot walk; I am in a wheelchair, and if I DO walk, it's only for short trips. (When I DO walk, I use crutches; but even that is risky becuase there have been times where I have broken my arms while using my crutches. My bones are just that brittle.) Any quick movement or too much pressure on my body can cause bones to break; and when this happens, I have a lot of pain, and I often cry because it hurts so badly. It is not fun when this happens; and I have been in and out of the hospital plenty of times because of this.
Because of my bones being the way they are people have to be extra careful when they are around me or when they pick me up because, as I said, any rough movement or too hard of pressure on my bones can easily cause a bone to get broken. I have had many broken bones (legs, arms, ribs, collar bone, feet, fingers, hands, etc.), and I have been in and out of the hospital a lot. I am short, short (I am not much bigger than a two-year-old, and my arms and legs are really small), and my doctors don't think I'll be more than 3' tall when I get to become a grownup.
It is hard having brittle bone disease because there is so much that can happen to me, even if I move wrong; more than likely I'll end up with something broken. It's like I am made of glass; and people always act so scared whenever they are around me, and that hurts my feelings. I am a kid, but people often don't want to be a friend because they are afraid that they may hurt me if they even so much as touch me. And they don't think I can do many things. Or they stare at me or my wheelchair, and they think that I am nothing more than a freak.
But despite my disabilities, I still am a happy kid, broken bones and all; and I love to read, play with my dolls, watch "SpongeBob Squarepants" and "Rugrats" on tv, sing, and color.
I once new a little boy with this disease, his was less severe than the girl you portrayed here, but it was still heartbreaking, because he wanted to do the things most little boys do and could not. A wonderful write about a heartbreaking condition!
God Bless
~Michelle~
i've known kids with this condition, and it tears you up, because you can't hug the child too hard, or let them run around and be "normal"...it's a heartbreaking disease. you've captured this little girl's feelings perfectly, of wanting to be "normal" but not being able to...well written, karen! (((HUGS))) and love, karla. :)
Princess Geneveive has a wonderful home, with humans who love her. She and her humans try to talk to each other but Genevierve dosn't speak human and her humans don't speak dog. Genevieve often wishes she had another dog to talk to.
One day in th
