A Moment Of Being A “Normal” Kid.

It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while I think back to the years before my surgeries and intense physical therapy, the years that I got to be a normal kid like everyone else my age (excluding the fact that even then, I was going to physical therapy twice a week).

I played t-ball and coach’s pitch before all my surgeries, and when I think back on those years, I remember just how happy I was. Even though I still walked different during that time (as I have my entire life), I was able to do everything that every other kid on the baseball team could do. I cheered in the dugout, went up to bat, stood in the outfield waiting for a ball, and walked with the rest of my team to high-five the other time while saying “good game,” even if we lost. As well as feeling like a normal kid, I was also able to be part of a team, and looking back, that meant so much to me. I don’t remember being made fun of during those moments, and though I probably was, I can’t remember it, and that’s when you know you’ve got special memories.

Specifically, I remember one of the games when I played coach’s pitch. I was up to bat, and Mr. Richard, my coach, stood on the mound smiling at me. He pitched the ball, and even though I hit it, it didn’t go far. It landed close to Mr. Richard’s feet. Even though there was a player from the other team standing behind Mr. Richard, Mr. Richard grabbed the ball and kept it away from him. At the time, when I was running to first base, I didn’t know what was going on. I just knew that the first baseman hadn’t caught the ball yet, so I kept running. As I was almost near third base, the biggest grin spread across my face as I realized what Mr. Richard had done: he was giving me my very first home run. I remember running as fast as I could from third base to home plate, and as soon as my feet touched home plate, everyone in the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered for me. In that moment, I felt like I was on top of the world, and more than that, despite my limitations, I had made a home run, just like every other kid on the team had at one time or another. It was a magical moment. There’s no other way to describe it.

I think about Mr. Richard every once in a while, and even though I haven’t seen him since I was a kid, I sit and wonder if I ever thanked him. I’m sure I must have, in one way or another. Whether I thanked him through the huge grin that remained on my face through that entire game or through one of the countless hugs that he became so accustomed to receiving from me, I’m sure he could tell how grateful I was for that moment that he gave me. However, sometimes I wish that I could explain that for me, that moment is one of the most special moments I’ve ever had. I got to be like a normal kid, and I got to feel the rush of happiness and excitement that comes with completing a home run. If only for one night, I wasn’t someone with Cerebral Palsy. I was a baseball player, a team member, and probably one of the happiest people in my small town, even if only for a moment.