By Carol Leish, MA –
In 1963, when I was 10 months old, I suffered a head injury in a car accident. I was sleeping in the back well of a VW Bug, long before infant car seats. Being in a coma for 10 days led to problems with my vision, coordination, and speech.
In elementary school, I had problems with my eye/hand coordination. The result was a lot of frustration with art and physical education. I was upset that my artwork did not look like the other students’ work. I was also annoyed about being picked last for team sports.
In junior high and high school, I had adaptive physical education to make things easier for me. The adaptive physical education teacher in high school encouraged me to join the swim team, which I did for two years. After my first year on the team, my time improved in both the backstroke and the freestyle, which I was happy about. I felt pride that I received a plaque: “Most Improved Junior Varsity Swimmer!” I have always been grateful for that supportive teacher.
Following my mom’s death when I was 14, I became depressed. That is a heavy load for a teenager to carry. Still, I persevered in education first earning a bachelor’s degree in Human Development in 1985, and then my master’s degree in Education in 1988.
Several years later I became a caretaker for my father who was suffering from a chronic illness. It was a terrible time. He passed away in 2014. Then, I had problems with anxiety, too.
Like so many others who have suffered from multiple traumatic events in their lives, I saw several mental health professionals. Unfortunately, it has only been since 2015 that I connected with a counselor and a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who have helped me to move forward. Thus, it has been a godsend to continue seeing them. I am in a better mental health place than ever before, which I am very grateful for.
The unexpected benefits of my physical and emotional challenges have been the self-motivation to excel to the best of my abilities in formal education, as well as continuing to educate and motivate others. I have been a Motivational Speaker since 1997. My Motivational speech is titled ‘Facing Challenges with Optimism & Humor.’ I focus on the importance of having a positive attitude, along with a sense of humor. I have also found various ways to adapt to situations, which is the focus of a children’s board game, ‘Call Me Capable.,’ that I created and codeveloped with the original publisher, Franklin Learning Systems. I am proud that it was published for 15 years, between 2002-2017.
Because of multiple eye issues, I do not drive long distances. I either take the Amtrak Train or bribe people to drive me places! When I gave a keynote in Chicago, I was given a suite with two TVs at the hotel. I have only one good eye, so I only needed one TV!
With a hand tremor, I used a ‘trainable’ tape recorder to take notes in college. I had the bonus of hearing the lecture twice! Now, I continue to use an electric typewriter to type notes and make out checks, so they are legible. But, do not worry, I do sign the checks!
With my voice being hesitant or monotone at times, people have assumed that my intellect has been affected. I have said that my intellect is fine. It is my humor that is questionable!
I now realize that I had given too much power to earlier mental health professionals. In hindsight, I realized that things were not right with the diagnosis and treatment I had received. Thus, ‘Lets Make A Deal’ was the wrong game show I was living in. The game show now is, ‘Jeopardy!’ and the “final answer” is: “What does it mean to advocate for myself?”
I can relate to Helen Keller who said, “I am thankful for my handicaps (challenges). Through them I have found my work, my God and myself.”
