Hello Steve, I like this one. What an insperation. Thanks for sharing. Original message: > Kris > Sometimes in our lifetimes, we meet someone who is an exceptional > inspiration. I have had the opportunity to meet such a person. > On June 2, 1975 a baby boy was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His > parents were both working on their doctoral degrees in engineering. > They walked out of the hospital after they saw the baby and never > looked back. Two reasons were: The parental grandparents offered to pay > off their house if they would leave the baby at the hospital. And when > they saw the baby, they were told they were looking at two- to > three-dozen operations. > The state of Wisconsin would not help with any of the medical bills. > The baby was born Kristian Lee. He was born with Mobius Syndrome. Many > have never heard of this problem. From research on others born with > this disease, they believe the syndrome is caused by disturbances > around the 4th week of development. It was believed that Kristian's > (Kris) biological mother contacted the Russian Flu when she first > conceived him. > Kris was born with cranial nerve damage. It caused paralysis in his > face. The eyes cross, and the eyes cannot close 100 percent. His inner > ear nerves do not work correctly. > There is no filter in his ears to deaden sound. Kris was born all but > deaf. He had a vocabulary of about100 words at age three, rather than > the average of 1500 words in most three-year-old children. > Kris's ear tubes are too small. Fluid cannot drain properly, causing a > history of ear infections. He was born with a cleft palate. His tongue > grew to his cleft palate. > His tongue had to be cut behind the hole in the palate, leaving him > with only 20 percent of his tongue. > Kris did not get all his teeth, and the teeth that did come through are > not in the places everyone else has them. He is also unable to smile > due to the paralysis in his face. > Kris was also born without both feet. His legs developed only to the > ankle bones. > He has no fingers or thumbs. Doctors made a partial thumb from skin > from his thigh and the medi carpal bone. He had to have a below knee > simes prosthesis for both legs. > Kris's IQ was tested at78. Fifty percent of people have an average IQ > of 90-119. > About 6.7 percent have a 70-79 IQ, which is considered borderline. > At age five, Kris had an incident during surgery that caused him to be > learning disabled. > Yet, Kris, with the help of tutors, managed to graduate with a > Bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation. > With all his difficulties, with all the surgeries he was facing, this > child was adopted at 14 months old by Bob and Vernita Garriott. > Bob was born with only one arm and Vernita was born legally blind. > Their hearts went out to this child. > At age seven, Kris sold 475 boxes of M and M's each summer to pay for > YMCA camp. The summer he was 12, he sold enough M and M's to pay for > three others besides himself, to attend camp. Kris did this until he > was 18 years old. > At age nine, he had his first job, cleaning the parking lot of a drug > store so he would have money for candy bars. At age 12-14, Kris had a > double paper route, delivering 288 newspapers daily on an electric > mobility scooter. At age 16, he worked as a Wal-Mart associate. And at > age 18, he became a day camp site supervisor at a YWCA. > I have had the opportunity to sit down with Kris and talk to him about > his achievements, his dreams, and goals in life. In my eyes, he is an > inspiration to mankind. > I met Kris last year when he was selling Pork Skins at a flea market I > work at monthly. > I watched him make change without difficulty, having no fingers. I saw > how polite he was to people. I watched him walk on artificial legs > without difficulty. I saw his strength as a human being in trying to > overcome all obstacles that stood in is way in his life. > I asked Kris to tell me of any hobbies he has. He said he really > doesn't have any hobbies, but he does love to go Bungee Jumping. His > dream is to one day be able to sky dive. > I asked for any stories he could tell me about incidents in his life. > He told me one that is cute. When he was 12, on his paper route one > day, riding his wheel chair, which was designed as a scooter, the cops > stopped him and told him that his motor scooter was not street-legal. > He was very upset that day, thinking he would no longer be able to keep > his paper route. Kris was fearful that he would be arrested if he were > caught again on his scooter. His parents had to contact the police and > inform them that Kris's scooter was not a regular scooter but one built > for disabilities such as he had. He was stopped on his paper route > three different times by police officers about his scooter. > He had difficulties when he was attending grade school and high school. > He never had a girlfriend. He had friends, but he says that no one > wanted to date him with his disabilities. He would like to meet someone > one day, who can see him for who he is as a person and not judge him > for his birth defects. > I asked what challenges he faced. The main one is his dream to become a > recreation therapist in a nursing home. He has applied for jobs by > calling on the phone. He gets an interview confirmed. Yet, when he > shows up for the interview, and they see his disabilities, they tell > him the job has been filled. > While attending college, Kris was selected as one of 750 people out of > 6,000 to travel with the International Up With People Group, a peace > through understanding performing arts group. He traveled to Europe and > has been to Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Austria, The Netherlands, > Portugal and Spain. The group stayed with local people and their > families, who were hosts. Kris has performed community services in > other countries, learned about the culture of these countries and has > sung and danced on stage to entertain people in the country he was in. > He says he would love to go back and do it again. > Once, while performing in Germany, he jumped off the stage after the > act was finished and broke one of his artificial legs. His parents had > difficulty shipping a new pair, both legs are made together, of legs to > Germany. They said getting the legs past custom officials took six weeks. > As a child, Kris was able to draw social security children's benefits. > Today, he draws nothing. He holds down a full-time job and says he > makes enough money for living on his own. He recently bought his own > home, and you can see him driving around town in the 2004 Mustang > convertible he is so proud of. > Kris's accomplishments are remarkable for someone who has faced so many > difficulties in life. He has inner strength and keeps pushing on. I > think he is one astounding human being. > I look around and see people who were born without any birth defects or > who have no disabilities. I see people who have become alcoholics or > who are on drugs. I see many drawing social security for these > problems. Yet, here is a man, who has faced numerous surgeries from all > his medical problems, and he still keeps pushing toward his goals. > This is why I wanted to tell Kris's story. I see a man, who has fought > more than most of us can ever imagine. I see a man, who believes in > working for a living. I see a man, who is an asset to many with birth defects. > Today, Kris resides in Northport, Alabama. He works weekdays as an > office manager for a medical supply company. His weekends, when not > selling pork skins at a flea market, are spent selling pork skins on a > corner by his parents' home to folks who attend a little league > baseball games God Bless this wonderful man.
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