Growing up, I always thought of myself to be just like everyone else, except for one thing...I was born with Spina Bifida.
In 1970, I was diagnosed with Spina Bifida which greatly affected the muscles and nerves in my lower back and legs. Who would have thought that I'd spend the next 18 years a patient at Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. When most kids are "just being kids," I was undergoing 13 surgeries all before the age of ten to help correct the effects that Spina Bifida left on me.
Even though I couldnt walk as well as all the other kids, I always wanted to do what they were doing. When I climbed a tree, I stumbled. I rode a bike, I stumbled some more. I played baseball, I stumbled even more. As many times as I would stumble, I always managed to pick myself up making a joke or two along the way.
In 1979, my parents decided it was time to take me out of "special school" and have me "mainstreamed" into the regular educational system. It wasn't long before I discovered that "No, not everyone had braces, casts and crutches." Imagine that! I wasn't like everyone else, I was different. From this point on, I knew I was destined to do something that would make me stand out from the rest, just like I'd been doing my entire life.
Not knowing where my life was going to take me, I decided that making others laugh was my dream. Following this dream, I am now a professional stand-up comedian or "barely can stand up comedian" who has performed all over the East Coast to as far away as the Comedy Store in Hollywood, California. I am also a motivational speaker who speaks on keeping your sense of humor while overcoming adversity.
And for those asking...yes, I have finally finished my Bachelor's Degree from Holy Family University at age 35! Now that's determination!! |
