Once upon a time there was a drug called Thalidomide. It was a wonder drug--a miracle cure for “morning sickness”. I’m a guy so I’ve obviously never been pregnant but constantly puking doesn’t sound like fun to me so I understand why women would want a pill for it! This one was hailed as a perfect solution for an age old problem: doctors were finally able to help women feel better during those first months of pregnancy and drug company profits were up. Everyone was happy! Until...
Babies started being born with physical deformities. Some had no arms, some no legs, and some had neither. At first, no one knew why. After a time, they began to realize that most of these children’s mothers had taken Thalidomide during their pregnancies. Slowly, it was accepted that the “perfect solution” for morning sickness had consequences far beyond anyone’s imagination.
I’m a “Thalidomide baby”. Obviously, I’m not a baby anymore, but that’s how I’m referred to. I graduated from high school in 1976 and from college in 1980. I’ve got a degree in computer technology. (Binary code makes sense to me--I only have two fingers!) Anyway, I married in ‘81 and opened my own business in ‘85. My kids are 12, 10, and 9. I have a pretty normal life. Except...
My arms end just below what would normally be an elbow and my legs are malformed, too. I’ve never walked, run, or ridden a bike. I’ve never thrown a baseball, caught a football, or played a guitar. For years I struggled with prosthetic hands but they only frustrated me. I use a simple, old-fashioned hook, its what I grew up with, and I’m used to it. I live every day with the consequences of my mother’s actions. She didn’t mean to hurt me, and I’ve never known what it was to have legs, so I can’t really say I “miss” them. I wonder some times what my life would be like if Thalidomide had never been invented, but...
HINT: So was the institution of adoption! Everyone is dealt their own cards in life, their own unique situations, and we all must learn to live our own lives, find our own purpose, and make our own happiness without blaming others for our circumstances.
