Janice could see the television screen just over her corrective leg braces, which were propped on the coffee table. She’d worn them as long as she could remember. Maybe she could figure out things to do with friends other than biking or running around, but she didn’t have any friends. There had been one neighbor she played with, but when he teased her that one afternoon, she broke his nose and got sent back to Providence Behavioral Hospital because no one was sure that the medications were right anymore. Now that she was twelve, all her body chemistry was changing so rapidly and it was even harder than usual to regulate her erratic moods. But still, things were turning around. Janice hadn’t hurt her little brother in a long time. For weeks she hadn’t tried to run away and for months, she hadn’t even thought of trying to burn the house down.
The Department of Mental Health recommended Carson’s Therapeutic Recreation Program (“Rec”) in Ware. Janice went for a short hike with Rec, got so tired and frustrated that she threw herself down and rolled around in the mud. But Janice didn’t see herself as a quitter. She came back to Rec wanting to try everything and right away. Instead, she had to watch first and learn from the Rec staff. Hey, we all know the song, “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” how hard could actually rowing be? In fact, it was a little hard for Janice to learn, but she went on her first All Girls Overnight Rowing Trip and she got really good at it. Eventually, Janice was ready to try horse back riding. Janice felt the horse was responding to her, communicating with her. She spent a lot of time on the horse over many months and this made her legs so strong that she didn’t need her corrective braces anymore. When the horse finally threw Janice, she got right back on her friend and kept going. Hadn’t she thrown people off once or twice in her own life? Janice’s rowing improved so much that she was able to row out to the islands in Boston Harbor to camp. Two year’s in a row, she bicycled all the way to Montreal and back on their annual bike trip.
Soon Janice wanted to share her new skills with her family and others. She invited her brother and sister and her mom to the overnight trip to New York City, where none of them had ever been. Janice began helping the new members in the group who struggled. She could be heard telling them about her braces and her falls and her challenges–encouraging them, coaching them, inspiring them. She began joining in on Rec’s volunteer work, cooking giant meals for the homeless, playing Bingo at the nursing homes and going to the Soldier’s Home. Janice went door-to-door Christmas caroling with Rec and discovered that she had a good voice. She joined the choir at her church. Janice would tell stories around the campfire during the overnight camping trips. She started writing stories down and submitting them to the local paper, where a couple of them were published. She made a friend at Rec. Then, Janice made friends in school.
When Janice turned eighteen, she and her family relocated to another state. She packed up and carried with her the ability to get up when she was thrown, to row, row, straight against the current when necessary, to sing with gratitude, to serve others and to show others who struggle that it is possible to get stronger, to cast off the braces and to join in.
By JAC Patrissi
