Oprah often talks about keeping a "gratitude journal." It got me thinking about a new way to write about advocacy in these days of great challenge. I often think: What if I couldn't use my hands? These posts that you read are typed with my own hands without any adaptive equipment. Perhaps this dispels a false image of those diagnosed with athetoid cerebral palsy as it has one of the most complex manifestations. Think of the popular image of "Praying Hands." It is a favorite of mine as I think of those in the helping professions, cooks, bakers, sculptures, painters, research scientist, musicians, etc. All of us use that body part at the end of our arms, attached to the wrist, called "HANDS."
Learning to control my hands took years of repetition as the involuntary gross motor movement would fling a salt shaker across the table or I'd "hit" some one instead of shake their hand. By my late teen years, I had gained most of the necessary control to do every day task, and I began teaching myself a system of typing on my sister's manual typewriter. Most days, I now type approximately 30 words per minute with few errors. Now that I can legitimately call myself a writer, I use my hands to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and the number of people donating funds, time and encouragement continues to grow.
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