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| Disability -- and "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition" |  | ||
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Posted by: Lynne ® 11/11/2005, 15:17:52 |
This doesn't speak directly to SD, but is highly-pertinent to our disorder regarding keeping our perspective and our spirits up and our minds open. No one has mentioned this yet, so I'll throw it out there. Did anyone see last Sunday night's episode of "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition?" It was awesome in the family subjects --- a large family of mostly disabled children from 12 to 22, whose two-story house in Fairfield, California was re-built into a three-story, in order to give all the children their own space (4 of the girls were sleeping on bunks in one room) as well as to provide access to a third-floor suite for the two teen-aged girls in the family who were born without legs. This whole thing is a long story (impossible to explain in a short post) but the story captured my interest as this family lives 15 miles away from me, and the Sunday episode was so dramatic and complicated that it was two hours, rather than one. Turns out that what started this Makeover episode was that a reporter in the SF Bay Area met this family at a trapeze school and wanted to do a short-story about them, on a local news network. The mother is a strong woman who wants to empower her children to be "differently-abled" rather than disabled. Eventually, the short piece turned into a documentary called "My Flesh and Blood" which won awards at the Sundance Film Festival in 2003. And then (drum roll), so many people responded that the mother of the family (and the ABC network) was compelled by popular opinion to put them on the show. Thus, last Sunday's episode. The kids in the family have brain damage, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Spina Bifida, EV (a horrible skin/infection disease), Cystic Fibrosis, severe burns and birth defects (two were born without legs). What does this have to do with SD? Nothing except alot of inspiration in dealing with disability, disease, disorders, the medical system, the social services system, etc. And, all with compassion, patience and alot of humor. There is much frustration expressed also but it's a lesson in perspective, and reaching out to others. Similar to what we discuss in this forum. I rented the DVD yesterday. "My Flesh and Blood." Would recommend it to anyone who either saw Extreme Home Makeover last Sunday night, or not. Make sure to watch all the extras. A real eye-opener and motivator --- re support and information and attitude, on all disorders/diseases, including ours. It's all true. It's non-Hollywood. To me, it's a powerful tool for disability awareness. Lynne (L7martinez@aol.com) |
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