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From: Scott.Wallace@f61.n134.z1.fidonet.org (Scott Wallace)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Need Help dealing with new disability
Message-ID: <19039@bunker.isc-br.com>
Date: 25 Apr 91 18:23:19 GMT
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Index Number: 15227

  Hi there mari...

 A quick reply from your message of 15-Apr-91:

 MR> wondering if anyone here on misc.handicap could help me out with
 MR> advice on how to handle my new life situation. I do count myself
 MR> fortunate that it's not a life-threatening thing, but it's still
 MR> really hard for me to deal with the fact that I can't walk like I
 MR> used to.

I really feel for you Mari because I too am dis-ABLED.  I am
slowly dying of A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and I sit here and
watch my muscles whither away to nothing.  I look at life as an
opportunity to make an impact on others and how I can give of
myself to others.  Even though I'm 85% paralyzed, I've appeared on
TV, newspaper and am active in writing for local periodicals.

It's your whole attitude on life itself and your view of
yourself.  I used to feel uncomfortable going out in public and
have people stare at me while someone fed me.  I go out twice a
week to eat at restaurants and couldn't give a hoot what people
think of me.  I FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF and know that when people
meet me, they see me, not my disability because I don't make a
big deal about my disability with an attitude "poor me" or "feel
sorry for me".  I have more close friends now than before my
illness.  For a while there at the early stages of my illness, I
turned most people off with my shitty attitude and outlook.  Now,
if I have an "attitude", I keep it private.

A big help in my emotional growth was meditation.  It gave me a
whole new outlook on myself and life.  Most cities have numerous
meditation groups to get you started.  Prayer is a form of
meditation and has greatly helped me too.

Without getting too personal on this echo, I hope I can help out
more.  Perhaps you can reach me via netmail at 1:134/61.0 and we
can carry on discussions in private.

        Ciao!
        Scott

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