Would you ever or never believe a faith healer?

Posted on 18. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in disabilities, health, inspirational people, local news, my life, religion

This evening, three very dear, level-headed, grounded friends of mine arranged for a Catholic faith healer named Paul Miller to perform a service at our local community center. They had heard him before, and were so moved and so convinced that he’d change lives here that they flew him out from New Jersey to speak. They sent emails to friends they thought might be interested, and via word-of-mouth about 100 people attended.

When I received the email, I was pretty skeptical. I figured that I’d rather do just about anything than attend such a service, but I was curious about why these women whom I trusted would be so sure that this was true. Then I spoke to one of them in person the other day, and she told me about the first time she heard Paul speak. She said that when Paul laid hands upon her, she felt a “whoosh” pass through her body. That reminded me of what I sensed when my dog died. (I mean that only in a good way.) So, my curiosity was piqued enough to convince this Presbyterian gal gave up a Saturday night to hear a Franciscan faith healer.

I was impressed by Paul. He’s a very humble, sincere man. He spent about two hours telling his story, and it was clear that this was something he felt called to do, not something he had sought to do. As he related how he came to this healing ministry, he made it clear that he was just as skeptical at first as any of us listening. (Note: He NEVER asked for money, and there were no collection baskets or ways to even give money.)

After a short break, he laid hands upon people. This was way outside my comfort zone. Did you know that Presbyterians are sometimes called “the frozen chosen”? That perfectly describes me. I am not prone to emotional outbursts, speaking in tongues, waving hands, or dancing in the aisles at church. In fact, I don’t even like to clap to songs. These things embarrass me. Laying on of hands conjured up images of the old-time revival meetings run by charlatans that I’d seen in movies and tv shows. So, I was seriously hesitant about this whole thing. Even so, I was moved by what Paul had said, and didn’t want to be such a doubter that I’d never be open to a new way for God to communicate with me.

As I mentioned yesterday, I live in a town that’s small enough that I recognize lots of people. That was definitely true this evening. I probably knew half the people there, and nearly every person I knew went up front. I was amazed to see people that I think had just as many doubts as I did stiffen and fall after Paul prayed over them. When they got up, many of them were grinning ear to ear. I definitely felt something special in that room, and as a Christian I’d label it as the Holy Spirit.

It’ll be interesting to hear over the next few days, weeks and months about any healing that took place. Paul emphasized that he was there for both spiritual and physical healing, and that his true goal was to bring people closer to God.

That sounds good to me.

PS – I did go up front. It was very moving. No, I didn’t fall. (Since I know you’re curious!) But there are some things that are personal enough that I’d rather not blog about them. Thanks for understanding.

Smile on the outside and you’ll smile on the inside

Posted on 20. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in disabilities, my life, non-profits

My mother always told me that what mattered was what a person was like on the inside, not the outside. Yet, when I got my braces off the week before freshman year of high school, I was thrilled. I’d had either crooked teeth or braces for my whole life, and for the first time I actually felt moderately attractive. I gained confidence, and started high school on the right foot.

My son got his braces off yesterday, right before sophomore year of high school. Here’s a before / after pic:

He’s already an attractive, confident guy (yeah, I’m biased!) but I think it’s cool that the smile on the right is so much bigger.

Not only did this remind me of my own braces experience, but it made me think about the kids with cleft palates that are helped by Smile Train. A cleft palate makes it look like the upper lip is attached to the nose. It’s the #1 birth defect in developing nations, and occurs in anywhere from .4 to 3.6 per 1000 births, depending upon ethnicity.

So I was amazed that when my son picked up our mail yesterday, for the first time there was a letter from Smile Train requesting a donation. It only costs $250 to cover the cost of cleft surgery, a FRACTION of what we paid to give my son his dazzling smile, so we’re in. How can you say no to these faces, and who can beat that timing?

“Sometimes just a smile on our face can help to make this world a better place.” (Robert Alan)

Why you should boycott “Tropic Thunder”

Posted on 12. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in disabilities, movies, things that bug me

I bet you know what the F-word, N-word, and the L-word are. But do you know what the R-word is? If you had Down Syndrome you would, and you’d cringe every time you heard it.

The new Ben Stiller / Robert Downey, Jr. movie, Tropic Thunder, has 17 uses of the R-word in it. One of the characters plays an actor who pretends to be mentally handicapped in order to win an Academy Award. The movie spoofs Hollywood and all it takes to be successful there. But does it have to use the R-word so much? No. According to Tim Shriver in today’s NPR interview, the N-word is only used twice. He says the use of the R-word leads to suffering, injustice and exclusion.

Why do people feel so comfortable using the R-word? Is it because the people it stigmatizes don’t fight back?

Well, now they are. The Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles (DSALA), one of my longtime website clients, has joined with the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Congress, ARC, and many other groups to encourage people to boycott this movie. No matter how hard we try, the more we hear certain speech patterns, the more we’ll emulate them. So the last thing our society needs is more people using a hateful word like “retard” to describe a person.

So stand up and do what’s right. If you see a movie this weekend, see “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” I saw it last night, and it was actually really good. If that’s too chick-flicky for you, go see Wall-E or Dark Knight again. Either way, you’ll sleep better knowing you didn’t support Tropic Thunder, a film that promotes disrespect to innocent people.
Pledge your support at R-Word.org and find out more about why the R-word is so hurtful.

Don’t let the CAHSEE prevent a diploma – for ANYONE

Posted on 19. Jul, 2008 by kchristieh in disabilities, education

In June, 1981, Judith H. received her high school diploma with me. She didn’t take any special exams to graduate, but she did attend classes and try her hardest. What’s so cool about that? Judith has Down Syndrome. Thankfully, she grew up in a family and in a community that valued her gifts, and encouraged her to never give up and to be as successful as she could.

I thought about Judith when I read the article “Bill Would Waive Exam for Disabled” in today’s Pasadena Star News.

Parents of special education students are anxiously awaiting the Aug. 4 return of the state Legislature to see whether the governor will sign a bill exempting their children having to pass from the state’s high school exit exam.

Nine months ago, however, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar bill.

It would have allowed thousands of special education students to get their diplomas without having to pass the exam, formally known as the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).

Now, the bill by state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, SB 1446, seeks the same goal.

Similar to a CAHSEE waiver for special education students that expired in December, SB 1446 would allow disabled students who have failed the exam to receive diplomas, provided they have met all other graduation requirements.

The measure was passed by both the Assembly and Senate with a two-thirds bipartisan majority – a feat Romero described as “remarkable.”

I think this is a worthy bill, but I don’t think it goes far enough. With 1/4 of California’s high school kids dropping out before graduation, something should be done to recognize the kids who stick it out and yet fail to pass the CAHSEE. To be clear, from what I can tell the CAHSEE sets a very, very low bar. I think that nearly all the kids in our district pass it as sophomores, and I think they all do by graduation. In “Learning Hard Facts of Exit Exam,” the Star News profiles a Pasadena teen who took the exam six times and still didn’t pass it, so he couldn’t participate in graduation ceremonies. He was one of 148 students in the same boat.

I think that a kid who attends and passes class should be given a high school diploma. I don’t think it’s bad to have the CAHSEE: if the bar to pass it is really that low, a college or employer would learn something about a person if they knew they didn’t pass it. I’d propose that if a student didn’t pass the CAHSEE but did stick it out through graduation, their diploma might have a special caveat or asterick on it. I’m not sure how feasible that is, but disabilities aren’t black and white: they’re a grey spectrum, and I don’t think it would be fair that a kid who has a special ed. designation could get his or her diploma when a kid who barely missed the designation couldn’t.

Down Syndrome speaker becomes Big Man on Campus

Posted on 10. Jun, 2008 by kchristieh in disabilities, education, health

For the third year in a row, I arranged for my website clients from the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles to speak to 7th grade science classes today. DSALA’s executive director, Gail Williamson, and her son Blair, who is an actor and has Down Syndrome, told the kids what it means to have Down Syndrome, and shared clips of movies and tv shows Blair has acted in. They stayed the whole day, and spoke to five different classes.

Gail says that 95% of women in Southern California who learn they are pregnant with a Down Syndrome child choose to abort it. It’s no wonder that hardly any of the students who heard today’s presentations know anyone with Down Syndrome. Hopefully they learned that a person with Down Syndrome can lead an enjoyable and rewarding life.

Here’s a picture of Blair with some of the students. Many kids stayed after each class to get Blair’s autograph and have him sign their yearbooks. They even stopped him in the hallway and leaned off the balconies shouting his name.

I think he needs a star on the sidewalk out front.

The heroes of today’s JetBlue Flight 481

Posted on 08. Jun, 2008 by kchristieh in disabilities, inspirational people, travel

Kudos to the flight attendants of today’s JetBlue Flight 481 from Boston to Long Beach. They treated Katherine, the young woman with Down Syndrome who sat in our row, with such respect and courtesy that I thanked them on my way off the plane. They were attentive but not overbearing, and JetBlue should be proud.

I’d write a letter to the company, but their sweaters were zipped up so I couldn’t see their nametags. Perhaps that’s what impressed me even more: they weren’t doing it to get any awards, they were just being themselves.

It makes me want to fly JetBlue again.

Going through high school with a conjoined twin

Posted on 11. Feb, 2008 by kchristieh in disabilities, inspirational people

Here’s a featuring conjoined twin girls, Abby and Brittany Hensel, who were born in 1990 and live in Minnesota. They have two spines, two stomachs, three lungs and two arms. Even so, they lead incredibly normal teenage lives, and have great attitudes. According to Wikipedia, they play sports, play piano, and even drive. They’re on track to graduate from high school this year.