My Story

DANI’S STORY

Hi, my name is Danielle Calhoun and this is the story of my life (at least, this is my version). In this story you will learn everything from A-Z about me, my whereabouts through time, and other juicy tidbits, unless of course, I decide to leave something out.

Let’s start at the Beginning.

I was born May 12th, 1978, at Roxboro Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. By this time, I had already had an older sibling, my sister.

I was born with Spina Bifida and endured many procedures. The first was to close my back. After this success, the doctors had given me only 3 years to live. Back then, the mortality rate for someone with my condition was very disheartening.

Having passed the ultimate test, I lived past 3, and went to various locations for therapy and schooling.

I was a many time patient of the Children’s Heart Hospital (now known as Children’s Rehab, unless the name was changed again), Shrine’s, and St Christopher’s (I know this all because my mother told me so).

I began to walk around the age of 3, and had hip surgery to correct the dislocation of both hips as a result of my Spina Bifida. I survived. I went to preschool at Easter Seals, and I attended the Widener Memorial School for the Physically Challenged, just across from Central and Girls High School.

By this time, I had a brother, my parents 3rd child, whom was born mentally gifted. He was always fun, we played a lot together, but my sister and I had the usual sibling conflicts, boys, toys and music.

I finally found my musical interest to be Country of all types, thanks to the now world famous Garth Brooks, he was my inspiration to keep on trucking. Standing outside the Fire was my song, and no one else’s.

I graduated high school at the ripe old age of 18, and graduated with a Diploma awarded for Academic study. Through my years in school, I was a brownie, a girl scout, a choir member and student council member as well as school year book editor at one point. I was at the top of my class in reading and social skills.

Then I found love.

I fell head over heels for a blonde named Wayne Lester, and my world went from self pity to self discovery. He made me realize that love was not trying to get people’s attention by being the class idiot, but by being just me. Wayne, sadly, passed on a year after we graduated high school together. That’s when I felt my first total loss. Yes, I had family come and go, and believe me; I cried the day my Great Grandmother died even though no one saw it.

Wayne was my world. I raved about him every chance I had, and my mother sort of adopted him, as a result, when he died, she and I both cried together.

I went on with my life, and went the Hiram G Andrews Center in Johnstown, PA. I met another boy there, and I fell in love again, but my love for him was short lived.

We moved in together much to my mother’s dismay, and from then until 2001, I went from a sweet girl to a total b***h in a matter of seconds. He abused me to no end, and I tried to make things work, even through the bruises and the broken jaw I acquired.

After that relationship finally came to a devastating end, I found myself alone again. Yes, I had friends, and by this time my family had lost hope of me ever coming home, but I kept on trucking.

Never did find love after that, until I met a man named Rich.

I thought I’d found my knight in shining armor even though beforehand I had fallen for someone else. But at that time, the distance and age difference just wouldn’t allow for a relationship.

I started going to church, I many times tried to quit drinking and smoking, but until the good Lord gave me my first miracle, I didn’t stop being me.

I found out I was pregnant on my brother’s birthday in 2003, single, and alone, not listening yet again to my mother’s, sister’s, and grandmother’s pleas to come home, I told everyone that I could make it on my own despite knowing my son was given a 90% chance of having my disability.

I left everything up to God by then. God was my savior; He was my big brother who wouldn’t let me down. I feared Him many years before hand, but at this point, I begged for His help.

I gave birth to a son on September 28th, 2004 and from then on, I have since felt that God had me in His scope. That He was watching, and waiting, for the moment to strike.

Children and Youth told me to get the hell out of dodge (not in those words) and even though I felt that they had no right, they pretty much banned me from ever returning. My mother and father took me in and they have been my crutch from that day. Even though we have our differences, they have stuck by me.

When Johnathan was 2, I went in for my first major operation since my birth, I had a breast reduction. By that time I was 200 pounds, and at 4 ft 11, that was no good. I had my surgery and my back has been better since then. Although my weight is still an issue, I have been very active in church and bible study and have now had the honor of being adopted into a loving cyber family.

From all over the world, I’ve met people, and that is when my poetry hit me. Even though I had written stories and poetry in high school, none of it meant more to me than it does now. I feel so new and so free when I write and, from the praise I get, I know that my words touch others so much. It’s still amazing to me that my words can do so much for people.

I also am now the proud aunt to 3 darling kids, and I’d give anything to make sure that they get everything they deserve.

So this is my story, my life in an essay nutshell. I know that there is more, and I’m sure you want to hear it all, but that is about all I can write for the time being.

©Copyright May 3, 2007 by Danielle N. Calhoun