Reach Out on Inspiration

by Tracy White

I am 20 years old and have had my share of the problems physical, social and psychological (emotional) that go along with having Spina Bifida. There are times when I've hated being WHAT I am...because there have been times I've been able to think of myself as nothing more than a disabled individual who will have to endure the same types of pain my entire life.

However, when these things get me down, I try to remember the GOOD things having Spina Bifida has brought me. Because of SB, I have met people I would have never met otherwise. Some of my closest friends have been people with Spina Bifida, whom I would probably shy away from if I didn't have it. Having Spina Bifida for me has meant meeting my friend Rusty, whom I met when he was in the hospital for cancer...we've been friends for 11 years now. It's meant meeting Ernie Gonzalez, the bus driver for the only accessible bus service in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. He was my bus driver for four years, and it was he who introduced me to how great my life could be if I let God into my heart. It's meant knowing Brandi, who I met at camp and helped me through the tough years of high school that having SB can bring.

Because of my Spina Bifida, I have met famous people who have helped me deal with life in ways they will never understand (Thank you, Elton).

Most importantly, it is because I have Spina Bifida that I attended the 1994 SBAA Conference in Indiana, and met my soul mate, and (soon to be) life's mate, Keith Piskur). Keith has become without a doubt the best friend I have ever had. He has been there for me through things when no one else would stand by me. He has shown me what unconditional love really means.

Having Spina Bifida has made me who I am today. I learned at a young age what discrimination is all about, and I promised myself that, as I tell my mother, "I will NEVER dislike someone because of a characteristic of that person that he or she has no control over." Having SB has made me be more sensitive towards others and how they feel than I think I would be otherwise. It has made me always be aware of the "underdogs" I come across...those, who through no fault of their own have had to fight for EVERYTHING they have, and have, in general, been disliked because their methods aren't like everyone else's. What I am trying to say with this long-winded letter, is that while I don't like the FACT that I have Spina Bifida, and I have chosen not to have children due to the genetic risk factor, if I were to ever become pregnant in a time when genetic engineering was fully possible, or a cure for Spina Bifida was found, I WOULD NOT want to change that child, even if he or she had Spina Bifida. I know the pain that a person with Spina Bifida goes through....but I also know the riches it brings.

As Garth Brooks sings:
"And now, I'm glad I didn't know the way it all would end
The way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance
and I wouldn’t miss this for the world

Editors note: Reach Out would like to thank Tracey White for that real nice story.. If you’d like to write to Tracey, send correspondence to Reach Out, and we’ll forward it to her.