A story about a little boy, aged 5, who had been burned over 85% of his body. The boy has endured numerous skin grafts and other plastic surgeries (and faces even more reconstructive surgery in the future), and he wears prosthetic limbs. He walks with the aid of crutches or a walker.
Take a good look at Jo-El. He is definitely a Miracle child, and he has definitely come a very long way since being burned when he was only 8 months old.
He is not easy to look at, as far as looks go, but if one could just hear his raucous, boyish giggles or see his determination as he undertakes any new task, they would be utterly amazed, for Jo-El was not expected to survive.
Jo-El was burned in a house fire that killed his family; he sustained third- and fourth- degree burns over 80% of his body, and he ended up losing his fingers, hands, and toes. He also lost his ears, and his face is very heavily scarred. He is scarred just about everywhere on his strong, sturdy little body, and the only place that ISN'T scarred was the place that held his diaper. He endured many months of excruciatingly painful treatments and spent nearly a year in the burn ward of the Shriner's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. He has had numerous reconstructive surgeries, and he faces even more in the future; in fact, doctors think he will need surgery each year up until the time he is 18 years old. He needs all this surgery to help with his ever-growing body, or there will be problems. He walks with the aid of a walker or crutches, and he wears prosthetic feet that have toes on them, and he also wears prosthetic hooks that serve as his hands; and with these, he can do so many different things. He also wears a hat to protect his head, as his head is still sensitive due to the excessive scarring, and if one isn't careful, he can get a severe sunburn or sustain further damage. He can get burned again, or worse, he can get skin cancer.
Jo-El knows he has faced incredible challenges in his young life, and what he remembers is filled with pain and images of people dressed in white, people that poked and hurt him; because of this, he is rather shy until he gets to know someone well. He is afraid that people are going to stick him again, and he is extremely wary of strangers. Just to go to the doctor's for his annual checkup is enough to bring on a fresh torrent of tears, and it is all his mother can do to try to quell his fears.
Jo-El, to most people, is one to be stared at because his face looks so abnormal, and it is so heavily scarred; but if one learns to overlook his outward appearance, they will find a pleasant, happy-natured child who is very bright for his age, and a child who is never at a loss for finding interesting things to do. He also has the prettiest grey-blue eyes, and his hair is thin and strawberry-blonde (that turns lighter brown in the winter months). His lashes, which have grown back, are carrot-colored and are very long. His smile is contagious and quick to appear, and his body is strong and sturdy-looking. At the age of five, Jo-El Sonnier Matthew Sandusky is surprisingly tall: he looks to be about as big as a second-grader (or even a third-grader). He is among the tallest children in his kindergarten class. He absolutely loves kindergarten, and each and every day he goes, he regales his family with tales of how his day at kindergarten went. He is very animated in his ways, and people can't help but to be drawn to this courageous little boy with the dynamic personality (even, if at times, he IS a bit shy). Jo-El is a child who doesn't let his disabilities hamper him in any way. Chances are, you will find him climbing trees or running around the yard on his walker or crutches, yelling his little head off. He is rather boisterous in nature, but around strangers, he turns strangely shy and will as soon stay by his mother's side until he gets to know them better.
Jo-El has learned to deal with rejection, fear, and uncertainty, things NO child should EVER have to face; but he is also learning to make friends, and he is being taught not to be afraid or ashamed of himself, just because he may look "odd" to most people. He is learning to accept his fate, and he is learning to deal with other people. He is also learning that it is "okay" to be "different", and that there is nothing wrong with it.
Yes, Jo-El IS a child who exudes courage in almost everything he does. He isn't afraid of most anything, and he is guaranteed to win your heart if you only take the time to look beyond his scars and learn to look underneath. He is a child first, and his disabilities shouldn't have to hamper people from wanting to make friends with him; all he wants is to be loved and accepted by others.
If you want to know what "courage" looks like, take a look at Jo-El Sandusky, aged five years, and you will soon see for yourself. He is the very essence of the true meaning of the word "COURAGE".
wow, karen...i am awed by your talent...powerful, moving story of a little boy's courage despite incredible odds! well done! (((HUGS))) and if i were a publisher...EVERY SINGLE ONE of your stories would be in a book! :) 'course, it would be a big 'un LOL love, karla. :)
The familiar lament of dual-career parents raising children is, "I just can't do it all." The Libra Solution provides an alternative - a more satisfying and sustainable work and life approach - to the overwrought modern day norm.
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.
