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.