One Step At A Time

Dr. Dale Turner once said, “Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.”

Her name is Taylor. She’s a seventeen year old student at Rocky Hill High School. She can kick, throw, walk, and catch. Taylor was born with a nuerodevelopmental disorder called Retts Syndrome, which almost exclusively effects females and can be confused with Cerebral Palsy and Autism. Developmental signs include repetitive hand motions, seizures, growth failure, scoliosis, and most of the time limited to no verbal skills.

A few weeks ago I started volunteering and getting some professional development hours for my major at college in Rocky Hill High School, working under Coach Dave Coyne in the Physical Education Department. Everyday during 4th period he teaches an Adapted Physical Education class for intellectually and physically disabled students. For 42 minutes every single day, I’m given the opportunity and honor in working with these students. For a couple of weeks now I’ve been exclusively working with Taylor.

According to doctors and research I’ve done on the Internet involving her disorder, she should be in a wheelchair by now. In fact, most of the children half the age of Taylor with the same disorder can’t walk and talk. The more and more I learn about Retts Syndrome the more I believe that Taylor has already beat the odds and  in fact has proved people wrong. The first few times I worked with her, she was definitely nervous. I would be to. A big guy with a beard standing over someone for the first time can be scary. When Taylor is having a bad day or is nervous she wears her sunglasses inside.

Now just a few weeks later, she rarely brings her sunglasses, let alone wears them during class. Every single day my goal is for Taylor to have fun in the short amount of time I have with her. However, another goal I have is for Taylor to continue to push her body physically and mentally. Different activities I have her do involve throwing a volleyball with her hands and catching it, and kicking a volleyball down the hallway with her dominant and non dominant foot. Each time I try to have Taylor focus on bending from her hips and using her core muscles because when a persons hips and core are functioning and strong, the rest of the body will fall into place.

I know Taylor enjoys coming to class every single day and is making unbelievable progress day by day. I decided to write this piece because I wanted to make sure that not only she gets recognition for the hard work she puts in day in and day out, but because she truly is an inspiration to all.

Even though medically she should be mobilized in a wheelchair, she gets up every single morning and puts one foot in front of the other. Some people take that for granted. No matter what limitations you may face or what circumstances placed in front of you, no one is there to stop you, but you. Taylor is not only an example of a miracle, but a role model and inspiration to us all.