Abstract:
This is a true story about my lifelong battle- and victory- over a rare genetic bone disorder. Osteogenisis Imperfecta left my bones brittle and my body fragile. As a child I suffered hundreds of fractures. The story details the early years of hospital visits, pain and loneliness. However the uplifting events of encouragement, which helped me through those difficult times, times when even doctors thought I would not survive, are also illustrated. I write about the joy and the despair of growing up with a disability, a unique perspective of life for both the able-bodied and the physically challenged. Eventually I would rise above the broken bones and prejudice, attend college, earn my degree in Social Work, and help others in need. Colorful, loving profiles of family and friends, as well as episodes of romance, laughter and heartbreak are sprinkled through out the book, ultimately reaching a powerful climax of hope, inspiration and achievement. THOSE ARE THE BREAKS is a tale of a breakable body- with a very unbreakable spirit.