Andrew Solomon Far From The Tree

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      Son Deaf Dwarfs Down Syndrome Autism Schizophrenia Disability Prodigies Rape Crime Transgender Father
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      Love Hope Policy Transcendence Struggle Illness Identity Activism Prejudice Belief Breakthroughs Science
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      Son Deaf Dwarfs Down Syndrome Autism Schizophrenia Disability Prodigies Rape Crime Transgender Father
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      Love Hope Policy Transcendence Struggle Illness Identity Activism Prejudice Belief Breakthroughs Science
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Richard Bury, D.C. Wats Wrong Wit Me Florida , USA
Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s I would have to say most of it was pretty great. However, when it came to school I was at a loss, especially in math and reading. Though my siblings and friends were having no problems with learning, it was extremely difficult for me. When my parents and teachers asked what the problem was, I could not tell them because it is difficult to describe one’s problem to someone when you do not understand it yourself. There were many hours of discussion on it, if I was putting in the proper time and also how to study to achieve their goals. The more I tried it seemed the less progress I made and the more I became frustrated. I had no answer for them. Personally I felt like a failure at a young age as everyone else excelled. The fact that my Mother graduated high school and started college at 15 years of age with majors in Math and Latin did not help my confidence one bit.
It was not until many years later after graduating high school and attempting college I understood what the problem was. Even though the present day term for my problem was first used in 1878 by a German Ophthalmologist, the term “dyslexia” was not a diagnosis during my school years. I learned about the term in conjunction with the problems my second son was having in school. His problems reflected my childhood difficulties to a tee. I was dyslexic! Now I had a name and explanation for all those years I knew something was wrong with me but could not explain it to anyone. Helping our son, I personally found a way to help myself with my own difficulties and also found out that throughout history great men and women in every field also dealt with dyslexia.
The one thing that I always wanted to do was to complete my college education and prove that I could overcome my past. In my early 30’s, my wife and I went back to college. In March of 1986 we both graduated with a doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine. The journey was a long and difficult one as many times I struggled with my dyslexia. The constant bolstering of my confidence to push on by my spouse and 2 sons was a driving force behind my success. After graduation we opened our family practice where I became the administrator and handled the office billing and accounting, something I thought I would never have been able to do when I was young. Utilizing the patient’s records I also produced all the reports that were needed from the initial to the final narrative with impairment ratings and future prognoses.
Having to retire early due to numerous health problems, I was faced with how to spend my time when I was not caring for my wife (who is mostly bed/chair bound). I had always had in my mind a story I wanted to tell and began putting it on paper. With dyslexia, writing the story was difficult and took a lot of editing and rewriting. The story is for children and this past year I finally completed it and started working on a sequel to it, with 2 more in mind. I am presently not published, but hope to be someday. Growing up and thinking of writing a book would have seemed an impossible task, but the satisfaction of actually doing it shows that no matter what, one can overcome life’s disabilities.
I know that many people have a saying that they use to help them get through when things get tough. I have one that may sound very corny to people. It is from a Tim Allen movie, “Galaxy Quest”. It is short and simple but direct, “Never give up, Never surrender.” Try it, it works for me.
Related themes and chapters: Disability Hope Struggle
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