So Proud

Twenty Years ago, my mom got called into a large office where three “experts” sat to discuss her son, my brother. Carl was in kindergarten, was barely speaking, didn’t know his kindergarten basics like the alphabet and counting, and couldn’t draw a stick figure or cut a straight line. These “experts” told my mom that Carl, who has a diagnosis of autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD, and developmental dely, would never be a productive member of society.

They said that despite the years of OT, PT, and Speech that they would offer, he would never graduate high school, hold a job, drive a car, have a girlfriend, or live independently. They recommended looking into long term care facilities because the sooner you get on the waiting list for those places the better.

8 years ago, Carl took his first job washing tables at Burger King. Then he became the burger flipper, the cashier, and finally the head of drive-through. Tired of burgers, he switched to Taco Bell, where he improved his already near-fluent Spanish, and became the trainer of all new employees. Now he’s happily working at Walmart, and will soon be promoted to shift manager.He’s also pondering taking the Post-man Exam.

6 Years ago, Carl had his first girlfriend. She helped him improve his now fluent Spanish, teaching him words like “kiss” and “girlfriend”. They went to the movies and out to dinner and had a very giggly high school romance. Since then, he’s had two other ladyfriends, and is in pursuit of a fourth.

5 Years ago, Carl also graduated high school. He had a Regents diploma, and an 87 average. He graduated in the top 1/3 of his class.

4 Years Ago, Carl learned to drive a car. He learned in and then inherited my mom’s old Chevy Lumina, and when it finally gave out, he purchased, with his own money earned from several years of employment, a Ford Focus he picked out because it was good on gas and environment-friendly.

3 Years Ago, Carl got his Associates Degree from the State College.  After two years of hard work, he had defeated the odds and walked off so proud.

But today, June 30, 2009, Carl received his Bachelor of Arts in Business.  That’s right, my Alphabet-Soup brother has a BA to call his very own.

I wish we could track down those experts now. Show them how wrong they are, show them that nothing is impossible for Carl. Tell them that they have no right to deflate a mother’s dream for her child, because he will succeed against all odds.