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I'll like to tell you about a friend of mine. He lives here in Temple and is a few years younger than me.
You've never heard of him, although you can read about what he does through the two books that he has written. He has two college degrees and operates his own business. In his spare times he paints in oils and sells his work through local galleries.
His father is a retired minister, having preached for the same local congregation for forty years. Several years ago his mother died of cancer.
Sounds like a lot of successful folks, doesn't he?
What makes Micael LeFan so inspiring is that at the age of eight he contracted polio and has been paralized from the neck down every since. He must spend 10 hours a day in an iron lung in order to breathe.
The only thing that he can move is his toe on one foot. One of the books he has written is entitled "Patience, My Foot!". You can find it on Amazon - it makes for some very eye opening humility.
I believe that there are only four people in the U.S. that still live in an iron lung and they no longer manufacture the machine so when parts wear out or break, they must be made from scratch.
He paints, writes, and does all that we take for granted with his toe. Of course, someone else has to feed him, bathe him, and do all those other necessary things for him, but you will never hear a negative word leaving his lips. He is self supporting.
If you go to his website, he never mentions his condition...just what he can do. www.lefan.com
As far as I know, he is the oldest living polio victim in the U.S.
It's easy to get down in the dumps and have a "pity party" for yourself. When I get that feeling I just pull Mike's book off the shelf.
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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My uncle was in iron lung for 10 years, from age 5-15. He had polio. Was a great man. Sadly he died from lung complications when he was in mid 50s. He went on to graduate college and have a successful career, wife and family. He was a second father to me. He had scars all over his body from all the surgeries. He was able to walk with crutches. Was very humble, and I couldnt imagine spending ten years of my life in an iron lung. But he did, and emerged a humble, patient and positive person. I miss him a lot.
"Some are born to move the world, to live their fantasies. But most of us just dream about the things we'd like to be." - Rush Posts: 1192 | From: Washington, NJ | Registered: Feb 1999
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