Martine Center Disabled 44 Year-old Resident Lives Life to the Fullest

by Jeff Jacomowitz

Most of us take getting up and going to work and school each day for granted when in fact we should all be thankful every day. That's not the case for 44 year-old Frank Aspera, who is not only handicapped with Cerebral Palsy (CP), he's on short-term rehabilitation at the Martine Center in White Plains and he works as a front desk receptionist for a local Cerebral Palsy Organization. Frank doesn't let his disability get the best of him, in fact, he is more personable and friendly than someone who doesn't have the disease. His therapists at the Center, Nick Hanzely, PTA and Vinny Defilippis, COTA, are committed to give Frank the best quality of life possible but at the end of the day, he just tells like it is.

"I like talking to and getting along with everyone," smiles Frank Aspera. "I feel that I am blessed with a friendly personality. I have one life and I want to make it the best one I have."

According to CerebralPalsy.org, CP is "considered a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the child’s brain is under development. The disease primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination and though Cerebral Palsy can be defined, having Cerebral Palsy does not define the person that has the condition." There's no cure for Cerebral Palsy and it is usually non-life threatening whereby people with the disease are living well into their adulthood.

"Frank is an all around genuine human being," said Ruthy Fernandez, Recreation Director of the Martine Center. “He has been such an inspiration to, not only to the staff, but to all of the residents he comes into contact with. He is surely blessed.”

For the younger generation, his story is both highly inspiring and educational ruling out the stereotype that people with CP today cannot communicate with others. Frank Aspera lives his life to the fullest.