Amazed

Friday was the last day at work of a guy that I've worked with for a few years. He is a pretty interesting guy. He loves music, plays a little guitar, and is also deaf. I believe with a little help (and volume) there are a few frequencies he can pick up which allows him to hear somewhat. He is also an excellent lip reader and it usually seemed perfectly natural to have a normal conversation with him - even though all the while he probably actually heard very little if any of my voice.

As he was saying his goodbyes the subject of his deafness came up and he made a comment that was essentially this: Don't pity people who have a disability who don't fight and find a way to overcome it and live out a "normal" life. I was kind of torn. Obviously, he is a good example of someone who enjoys a lot of life that you wouldn't expect someone with his disability could. However, I thought that was an extremely broad statement and surely there are a ton of disabilities that would truly prohibit someone from agreeing with that.

I went back to my desk thinking about that and happened to see a link to this video. It's of a high school wrestler from Ohio named Dustin Carter - and it is truly amazing. Dustin has no arms or legs. Did I mention he is a wrestler? Did I also mention that I read he was 41-3 in his matches this past season? You can see him in action here.

Wow. My excuses seem pretty lame at this point.

-Jeff