Perseverance!

     I am sorry that it has taken me so long.   My topic today is to persevere. You can do almost anything if you just persevere.   I know that it is tough.   A disabled person can very well get a job.   It is one of the great gifts God has given to us.   Disabilities can’t change our identities.   It is only a part of us.   There are really no limits.   Believe that you can change the world! Believe that anything is possible! Believe! If you persevere, you might make these beliefs come true.   
     Technology is always getting better. Therefore, we have the tools to help us persevere.   What would we do without them?  Good thing that we don’t live in ancient times.   Back then, disabled people could barely do anything.   That must have been so frustrating for them.   Now, we have the resources to make us have a good life.   
     Later, Jack 

Acceptance

Cerebral Palsy can change your life.  It can’t ruin it. You can still do amazing things.  Some people think less of us. We should be perceived as the same as non-disabled people! Sure, we can’t talk as well as other people. That is why there are communication devices. PRC has some great communication devices. Check them out at www.prentrom.com. They have made my life a ton easier.  Without them, I wouldn’t be what I am today. I’m so greatly influenced by my my eco.   

I love to talk to people. It is tough for me to get into a conversation.  My Eco isn’t fast enough.  That is very frustrating.  Therefore, I try hard to make it happen.  Most of the time, it isn’t perfect.  At least I can communicate.   Technology has come a long way.  I can’t wait until the best communication device comes out! 

  

      I just found out that today (January 20th) is a national day of acceptance for people with disabilities. I think that is a really cool idea. I am really lucky that people make me feel accepted. My family always accepts me and I feel accepted at school too. I have never been bullied and I know that I am so lucky. A lot of people with disabilities get bullied. That is so sad. It is sad for anyone to get bullied. I know that some people are different in a lot of ways but that is no reason to be mean. 

Later everybody,

Jack

Merry Christmas!

     Wow, I haven't posted since Thanksgiving! I love Christmas! It's my favorite time of year. I like to hang out with my family. Also, I like to get presents of course. I like to give presents to people, too. Even though I am disabled, I can still have a great Christmas. All you need to have a great Christmas is LOVE. It also helps to have lots of food and presents. Don't forget to go to church!
     Cerebral Palsy is very hard for me. Sometimes, I don't know how I get through it. I get really down about it sometimes. I don't understand why I have CP. Oh well, I just have to live my life anyway. My mom tells me to focus on all the good things in my life, like my friends and family and all the awesome stuff I have.
     I hope everybody has a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!
     Jack

Thanksgiving...

I am thankful for...
EVERYTHING! First of all, I am thankful for God and to God.
Also...
 my family (parents, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins...)
 my friends
 my puppy, Bailey
 Xbox
 iPad
 Notre Dame football and basketball
 Illinois basketball
 The Chicago BULLS
 Derrick Rose
 The Cubs
 The Bears
 My Haines teams
 food...pizza, tacos, chocolate, Portillo's, Baker's Square pie...
 my Eco2 communication device/computer
 my wheelchair

Even though I have Cerebral Palsy, I have a lot of things that I am thankful for.

Nothing can stop me!

     Hey how is everybody? I'm on Thanksgiving break, so I finally have some extra time! School is going well. Now I'm doing basketball. A lot of the same kids from football are on the team so it's fun. We are undefeated! My friends are awesome athletes! However, my car is not awesome because it won't start. I might have to miss our tournament game today, bummed!
     Sometimes I still get really down about having CP. I try to flush my bad feelings down. It usually does work. Talking with my friends about it and my family helps too. Life is mostly awesome but there's so many things I wish I could do. I wish I could actually be playing on a team. I wish people could always understand me when I talk. I wish I could be more independent and my parents didn't have to go everywhere with me. I love having friends over, but I wish I could go to their houses sometimes. Even eating, I have to have someone help me so I don't get it all over! Oh well. I am lucky to have really great friends and family. Even my little sister helps me a lot. Don't tell her this, but she's pretty cool.
     I am so excited about the holidays! We are going to my Aunt Jen and Uncle Tom's for Thanksgiving. They live about a half hour away and they have the greatest dog, Captain. One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. Why? You get to eat a lot and there's a lot of football! I get to see some of my cousins, too, and my grandparents and aunts and uncles. My uncles and my dad and grandpa love sports like I do. Then, of course comes Christmas. I LOVE Christmas! Maybe one of my upcoming blog posts will be all about Christmas!
     So, sometimes I do feel down about CP, but I know my life will get better. Everyone tells me that I can do just about anything I want to do. I kind of believe that, but sometimes it's hard to. I know one thing, "nothing can stop me!"
Have a Happy Thanksgiving... I just had the best idea! I'll do a post later this week about things I'm thankful for!

Wow...what a crazy two weeks I've had!

Hi everybody! I'm sorry I didn't post sooner. Wait until you hear what I've been doing! Some of you probably know about my touchdown It was great. My coach told me he was going to put me in as a running back at the end of the game. I was so excited. The other team let us have the ball because there wasn't much time left. I went out there with the guys, my friend Zach handed the ball off to me and I went for it. The other team didn't even try to stop me so it was actually easy to score. The whole team went onto the field and the cheerleaders too. They were all cheering and the parents were cheering. Even the other team cheered for me. I felt so good. There were even people crying!!! At first, I didn't get why it was a big deal but people said I inspire them and that they are so proud of all the boys for treating me so great. I'm glad if I have made people feel good. Since then, our phone has been ringing and ringing. My story has been in 3 local papers and even in the Chicago Sun Times! My mom and I, my coach and my team were on the news on Fox Chicago. Here's the link:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/19741216/8th-grader-scores-touchdown-in-game-of-life#.UG5Rp-4m3Ew.email

Anderson Cooper's talk show (Anderson Live) called and they might have us come to New York and be on his show. I guess the video has been on Fox News channel a bunch. They were going to have us on this weekend, but they had to cancel us. Good Morning America did a on-line story about me and my touchdown. We were invited to a Board of Education meeting for my school district to be honored by the superintendent. We have been invited to go to a Northwestern Football game. They said Coach Fitzgerald was inspired by me and wants to show my video to his team! This has been an awesome experience. I'm still hoping for the Today show or Ellen to call! Maybe the Bears will hire me! I am so thankful for all of this. I'll try to post again soon.
Later,
Jack

Jack's touchdown!

Hi everyone, Jack's mom here. Jack is busy at school, but wanted me to post about his recent 'adventures'. Last week, his coaches and teammates gave him the opportunity to be involved in a play in an actual football game. He scored a touchdown and his teammates, along with the opposing team's players and coaches, cheered and congratulated him. Truly a wonderful moment. Jack's story was on Fox Chicago news last week (I've included a link) and was in the Chicago Sun-Times over the weekend. I have also included a letter, sent by the dad of one of Jack's teammates. We have been contacted by Anderson Live (Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show) and this morning, I did a phone interview with Good Morning America for a digital-online story. Who knows where this thing will lead? Thank you, all, for your wonderful support of Jack.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/19741216/8th-grader-scores-touchdown-in-game-of-life#.UG5Rp-4m3Ew.email

This afternoon, I attended the most memorable football game of my life.
The Haines Middle School and Batavia Rotolo 8th Grade football teams
played in the first round of the annual 8th Grade football tournament
held at Reid Field in St. Charles.  One of the members of the Haines
team is named Jack.  Jack must use a motorized chair for mobility, and
has not missed a game moving up and down the sidelines in support of his
team (rain or shine).

As the game drew to a close (the outcome of the game is
inconsequential), Batavia from its own 5 yard line called timeout and
coaches from both Haines and Batavia jogged to the middle of the field.
After a few minutes of discussion, both coaches returned to their teams
and the players got set to run a 4th down play.  Batavia, on offense,
snapped the ball and the quarterback oddly took a knee rather than
running a play, giving Haines the ball on Batavia's 5 yard line with
only a few seconds on the clock.  The Haines offense took the field, but
this time it was different -- Jack was with them in his motorized chair.
The players got set, snapped the ball, and handed it off to Jack.
Jack crossed the goal line, followed shortly thereafter by a swarm of
Haines (and Batavia) players and coaches celebrating his touchdown!!
Truly remarkable!!

A person might think this was just about giving Jack an opportunity he
normally wouldn't get.  However, it was really just the Haines coaches
and team (with the help of Batavia) saying thank you to a young man that
has provided inspiration and support as a teammate all throughout middle
school.  Contributions to a team can come in a variety of forms and
truly transcend the importance of the game itself.  Jack has certainly
made more than his share of contributions.....