Personal Narrative: Jonah

Most kids would be anything to be an only child, and until you have a sibling you will never know how much you need them in your life. I have two younger brothers who are twins, Noah and Jonah. They were both a month premature and were in the NICU for almost 2 months. Noah had no complications other than being premature, Jonah on the other hand had several. My mother was in labor with Jonah for three hours. He had no oxygen this whole time and came out a blue baby. They revived him and later found out he has brain damage. Jonah has Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. He has to battle with his left side of his body every day along with the seizures. Growing up I had to learn quickly how to help Jonah is he had an episode when I was home with him. His CP made his left leg grow a
lot slower than his right which made his hips and spine out of place. He had has Orthotic Brace his whole life along with many surgeries to try and correct his leg length.
Jonah had a therapist that would come into our house and set up an area where Jonah, Noah and I would all stretch together. As I got older I understood what this therapist was doing was improving Jonah’s range and motion and trying to get his ankle to a 90 degree angle. Her job title was an Orthotist, she fit Jonah to his brace and can in to work with him on a weekly basis. I loved the fact there was nothing I could do to take this away for Jonah but we could make life better and easier for him. This was the moment that I realized I wanted to help people for the rest of my life. My sophomore year we were told to start really thinking about we want to do after high school and go to college for, this was then I found out that Prosthetics are part Orthotics, and this amazed me. In my Senior year I went to shadow Erica Webster in Bath, New York, who works in a Prosthetic and Orthotic Office. Seeing her work with people who have had something taken from them physically was moving. The career of becoming a Prosthetists and Orthotists is giving people a second chance, but most importantly giving them
hope. Without you they would not be able to walk to their babies crib at night, go to the bathroom alone, pick something like a cup up of the counter, type there scholarship essays like I am right now. This that we take for granted they would not be able to do without their therapist help. Giving someone that chance to be able to do these simple tasks and help them in life is the best job that I could ever think of going to college for.