Like Father Like Daughter

His life was changed because of an operation. During WWII he was injured. Gradually it became necessary for the Dr's to remove his kneecap entirely.

As if that wasn't bad enough, when my father decided to change jobs, and move from Detroit, MI to Los Angeles, CA he was told by his boss, they couldn't let him work at the Veteran's Hospital in Los Angeles. They told him the job required alot of standing. My dad was Handicapped, according to them.

At that time, I never gave it another thought. However, through the years, I've learned the feeling myself. As when I had been hired by the Food and Drug Administration, they told me I'd have to leave, due to my Hearing Impairment.

My dad was (fortunatly) able to find another job instead. He found work as a Security Guard. Amazingly, he stood for eight hours (sometimes more) at this job! Strange enough, this had no effect on his disabled leg, with the missing kneecap. Dad was able to put the experience of the Veterans Hospital rejection behind him.

Once while working security at RCA Records he was able to see "ELVIS." Before "ELVIS" had died, so no, it wasn't a new "Elvis" sighting. Another time, while working as a guard at NBC Studios, my mom and I went to see the "Original Hollywood Squares."

Years later my dad inspired me to continue in the job field after, I had lost my job. How could I complain? I didn't have to mope around, when I thought about how he'd turned a bad situation around. It reminded me how my dad had just kept on going, and didn't let his situation get him down.

He helped me see, that there is infact, life after a bad experience, and how the bad experiences teach us, and help us to appreciate the good ones all the more. He had done it, and so therefore, could I.

I began to respect him more after I had come to this conclusion. I began to look at life, from a whole new perspective. I didn't want to be bitter, and blame others for my disablity. That's certainly no solution, and it prevents you from finding fullfillment in your life.

All of us wheather we are Hearing Impaired or not, are responsible for the successes and happiness in our lives. We need to realize that life is what we make it. The road ahead can (at any time) take a twist or turn, we're not prepared for. It has for my dad, and it has for his daughter.

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