My left foot book

My left foot is a e book that displays the autobiography of Christy Brown, an Irish citizen born in the year 1932. Brown used to be born with cerebral palsy in their family. The book gives us an rationalization of why Brown did not give up in lifestyles and the role of his mother in the improvement of Brown. According to Sheridan, Christy did not know that he had a hassle till late childhood when he could now not communicate and control his physique parts. Brown’s mother was the first one to observe the problem when he was 4 months old. The book describes how brown learned to manage his left foot and used it to communicate. Later brown gets to move to France at the age of 18 where he meets a doctor who helps him with treatment. The doctor later helps Brown in his writing. The book describes the life of Christy from his childhood until adulthood.

The book has sixteen chapters, and each chapter has a title to show us that many events were captured in the story. The book starts with the title, “The letter A’.” The author captures the early life of Christy brown. Brown is born in Rotunda hospital, and his birth is accompanied by problems. In his book, he explains that almost both of them lost their lives. He says that “A whole army of relations queued up outside the hospital until the small hours of the morning.” Brown and the mother get well and leave the hospital. (Sheridan 15). At the age of four months, Brown’s mother notices that he has some health issues. He cannot open his fingers, he cannot control stability of his head, and he is unable to feed well. At the age of six months, Brown cannot sit down, not without the help of pillow supports at his back.

The family becomes worried about the state of their beloved Brown. The mother seeks medical advice to try and rectify the problem early before it gets worse. All goes in vain when the doctors tell her that nothing can be done. It becomes a big blow to the family getting to know that they will have to live with Brown in that state. Even the family and neighbors have lost hope on Brown, and they tell his mother not to have any hopes on him. Brown explains how life was difficult to cope up with life. The most important part of this chapter is the support provided by the mother towards the growth of Brown. In his book, he quotes that the mother took her out at some point and showed her flowers that were sprouting. The explanation given by his mother is that he was to grow one day and become successful as the others.

The second chapter of the book has been named “Mother” by the author because it explains the role of her towards the growth of Brown. We observe keenly how Brown started practicing with his left toe how to write. (Sheridan 27) Soon he learns how to write his full name, and this gives him a lot of hopes. We also see how the mother took his time to teach Brown the twenty-six letters of the alphabet and upon knowing them; she becomes the happiest mother in the world. Brown learns how to put together the letters of the alphabet into words; he soon understands the meaning of a few words and the mother becomes pleased with everything. At the age of seven, Brown learns how to sit and crawl from place to place. Brown learns to use his left foot more, and from the book, he says that it helped him break out of the prison he was in.

Brown now can write and communicate. The third chapter describes his home environment and the interaction with his siblings. He says that the best thing at home for children is food. In one scenario, Brown and his siblings are playing at home, and he is caught up in the game, hide and sick. He struggles to fit into the game when he hides behind the door. Later on, he becomes scared and runs towards his mother. Brown’s mother then introduces him to Christianity, but he finds it hard to learn catechism because he doesn’t like it.

In the other chapter, Brown describes how he goes on a trip with the other family members with ‘Henry,' his favorite car. The experiences from the scenes make him see that he is part of the family.(Sheridan, 65) Another chapter takes us to the artist, a woman who made Brown’s life the best in the world. His mind begins to think widely with the lady in her life. He now learns that he likes painting and can make a good artist. He buys paint pens and some paints that he uses to practice. At one Christmas, Brown sees an advert of a painting competition in the church. He enrolls in the competition because he has the potential to be a better artist. He paints the picture of Cinderella, the dream girl he has been thinking about. It turns out to be the best in the competition, and the chapter ends with Cinderella holding his hand as they walk in the crowd.

The turning point of Brown’s life starts when he joins music. He quickly realizes that he is no longer a child and requires a lot of time with developing his career. We can see the role of his mother in the development of music. At one time the mother goes away, and in her absence, Brown finds it difficult to cope with life. The attachment between him and the mother is almost lost, but when she comes back, they both pick up together. Brown then gets a special doctor from London to treat him, and during the treatment period, he goes to London to be checked by Doctor Collis. He continues with the clinic to receive treatment at this level. During the treatment period, he meets with Dr. Robert Collins who starts to teach him about writing. He starts with writing his autobiography. He later writes the autobiography of his 13-year-old brother. The above incidence marks the start of Brown’s writing career.

Description of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects most children, and if not treated early in life, one cannot be able to be treated in adulthood. According to Edibol, Cerebral Palsy is a group of disorders that affect the functioning of the body. The signs and symptoms of the disease include stiff muscles, tremors, and problems with sensation, swallowing, hearing and even speaking. The major life activities of the individual are affected because they are not able to perform daily living activities. (Edibol, 576) People with cerebral palsy are unable to feed on their own, have the late development of milestones, they are unable to talk and make sentences hence a challenge to talk to other people. The barriers that prevent people with cerebral palsy to better education and social interaction is rejection by the society. They are not able to interact well with others. The other factor is the inability to read well and make words thus they are not easily understood. The last factor is that most people with disabilities are born in homes that have financial difficulties. They are not able to get the special services required hence a challenge to them.

Personal Impressions

Brown is one of the blessed people in the world. He has grown up in an environment that does not recognize people with disabilities. At the same time the condition he suffers from does not provide easy time for one to adopt with life. In my opinion, he was born with a condition that is challenging, but he struggled through his childhood with support from the mother to ensure that he made it in life. His mother is not discouraged when people tell her that Brown will not help him in life. He is not discouraged from the doctor’s reports that Brown cannot be assisted in life. She is my hero in this book because, without her, Brown will have become someone else. In my opinion, Brown was different from other disabled children because he realized he couldn’t live like that from the start.

Most children from the disabled families do not get support from the family. They are treated as outcasts and cannot even interact with the rest of the family. The society does not even recognize disability to some extent. The above statements are disapproved in this book because we see the support given to Brown by the mother and father. He has the opportunity to interact with other siblings, and we can see him playing games with fellow siblings. When he realizes he is good in painting, he is given the opportunity to express the talent at church. We can also observe that he receives support from the doctors he meets in life. He has a very special life having come from a humble background. I strongly agree with his mother that destiny cannot be defined. Who knew he would make one of the best writers on the planet with cerebral palsy? He is very special in my opinion.

From the book, I have learned that disability is not inability. Many children born with disabilities can become useful in the society when given a chance to. It is important I read the book because now I understand what cerebral palsy is and how it is characterized. I have also learned the challenges disabled children face in society to include rejection by both the family and society members. The most important lesson I have learned from the book is that anyone can make it in life when given an opportunity to do so. From experience in the book, I strongly believe that I can be able to take care of a child with the same disorder and provide relevant guidance required.

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References

Sheridan, Jim, Shane Connaughton, Christy Brown, Elmer Bernstein, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker, Alison Whelan, and Kirsten Sheridan.My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown = My Left Foot : L'histoire De Christy Brown. Nanterre: Elephant films, éd., 2015.

Edebol-Tysk, Karin. Spastic Tetraplegic Cerebral Palsy: Epidemiology and Care Load. Göteborg: University of Gothenburg, 1989. Print.

Watson, Nick, Alan Roulstone, and Carol Thomas. Routledge Handbook of Disability Studies. London: Routledge, 2014. Print.