Joe Baab’s Senior Speech

University School - Hunting Valley, Ohio, 2001.

Too often, it seems, I am faced with a question that I don’t like to answer. The question is “Hey Joe, are you limping?” To this I answer “yes,” and the person then proceeds to ask me “why?” I usually make something up like, “I injured it playing football in my backyard.” If it’s a close friend, I’ll tell them the truth. I’ll tell them, “I was born with what’s called Cerebral Palsy.”

Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement. This disorder is caused by faulty development or damage to motor areas in the brain, which disrupts the brain’s ability to adequately control movement or posture. Symptoms of cerebral palsy can range in severity. Certain symptoms are not present in some of its patients. Someone with cerebral palsy may have trouble with fine motor tasks like writing. Others may experience trouble maintaining balance or walking, or have uncontrollable writhing motion of hands or drooling. Others still with cerebral palsy are also affected by other medical disorders including seizures and mental impairment.

Cerebral palsy can be acquired in numerous ways. For me, it was acquired through birth. While I was being born, I experienced severe oxygen shortages to my brain and almost died. I was then placed in an incubator and it was later found out that I had cerebral palsy. It affected the whole left side of my body, my left arm and left leg, and it was hard for me to control my movement in those areas. I was however, fortunate not to acquire some of the other symptoms.

Growing up was somewhat awkward. My Achilles tendon was underdeveloped and in the early years of life I walked on my tiptoe. It wasn’t until I had surgery when I was 4 that I could ever walk flatfooted. My left arm was much the same as my leg. I couldn’t do simple tasks like picking up a penny with my left hand. I could move my hand, but it wasn’t flexible at all, and when I walked it would naturally hang up out in front of me.

When I was a toddler, doctors told my parents that I would never be able to ride a bike, catch a baseball, or even be able to run. To try to have somewhat of a normal life, I attended physical therapy about 4 times a week and I sometimes hated my parents for putting me through all this pain. I would often throw tantrums at therapy. I remember this one time when I was about four; the therapist was trying to get me to throw a tennis ball with my left arm. It would take her a while to get it firmly in my hand, and then I would attempt to throw. My throws would usually drop a foot or two in front of me, and the lady would exclaim things like “great,” or “wonderful,” in her rosy voice. So one time I took the ball out of my left hand and fired it as hard as I could at her with my right hand. She stopped the session and got my parents to settle me down. I continued going to these therapy sessions less and less until I was about 12, and always hated them.

Therapy did pay off though. By the age of 7, I could do everything doctors told me I would never be able to do. The problem was I couldn’t do them very well. Cerebral palsy is the kind of disorder that can get better but never fully goes away. However, never again was cerebral palsy a threat to the quality of my everyday living. Instead, it became more of an issue of how can I compete against normal kids. I went to school at University School in kindergarten and my disorder was fully accepted by my peers. For activities like playground football I was always picked near the top, and caught a lot of passes. I played little league baseball, and my team won several championships, with me playing important positions like second base, and even some first base, as I got older. As a young kid I always loved athletics and never had trouble fitting in. But as high school rolled around it became harder.

My whole life I have never used my arm as an excuse for anything. But in high school, as the athletes were being separated from the non-athletes, my arm and leg became much more evident and it was hard for me not to use them for an excuse. I would have loved to be a three-sport athlete, playing football, basketball, and baseball. However I realized I didn’t have the strength for football or the agility for baseball. In 9th grade, I decided to try my hand at basketball. I had a decent shot so I figured it was worth a try. However, when the tryouts rolled around for the freshman team, I was much slower and more uncoordinated than everyone else and I got cut. This was a very hard time for me because it was the first time in my life that I wasn’t playing any kind of sport.

That summer, I committed myself to working on my game so I could compete on the same level as everyone else. I worked as a camp counselor so I could be in a gym all day and worked on skills like dribbling with my left hand. Sophomore year, I was better, but still a notch below everyone else. However, several good players had quit from freshman year, and I was given a chance to play JV. We got to travel with varsity, and it was a lot of fun. My childhood doctor even attended a game where I scored 4 points, and was amazed of my progression since birth.

I tried to really enjoy that season, because I knew it would be hard for me to play after that year. I could not compete on the varsity level where my classmates would be playing at junior year. However, I was fortunate to meet coach Tucker before the season, and he gave me a chance to continue playing on JV as a junior. It was fun, but I was a little out of shape, and didn’t play that much. I figured after that season I would quit because I just didn’t have the talent. I still played a lot of competitive basketball in the summer for fun, but I figured I would give up playing for school. The thought of giving up sports did bother me a little, as I saw my sister starting on three varsity teams as a freshman at Andrews, and knowing I would never make it to that level.

However, I talked to coach Tucker about staying involved in some capacity. He told me he thought I should continue playing. I realized he was giving me a great opportunity, and I worked as hard as I could with the team during our fall workouts. When practices started, I was kept on varsity. I thought my arm and my leg might give me trouble with the practices, however I realized that coach Tucker didn’t mind if I couldn’t do something well, as long as I put 100% into doing it. It is only when I was being lazy, or not paying attention that he gets frustrated. I know my role will be limited this year, however I am thankful to have a chance to play. While it may not be on the floor, I realize I can still contribute to the team by working hard in practice, staying supportive of my teammates, and being ready to play if called upon. We are ranked 2nd in Cleveland behind Lebron James and St. Vincent St. Mary’s, and open our season tonight against Hawken at 7pm. I hope we can get a lot of students at the game.

Cerebral Palsy has been very hard for me to deal with throughout my life, but in some ways it has been a mixed blessing. Spending so many years at therapy, I realize that there are a lot of kids who are far worse off than me and I can truly appreciate what I do have. It has also taught me that there will be obstacles in life, and it is important to work hard in everything you do. Nowadays, people rarely even realize I have anything wrong with my arm or leg. I can complete any simple task and that is a good feeling. I am truly thankful to my parents for always raising me in a normal environment and teaching me to set high goals and not use cerebral palsy as an excuse. Thank you.