The Letter A

                                                                          -         Christy Brown (1932-81)

Christy Brown was the tenth child of his parents. His parents had 22 children in total. His mother almost died while giving birth to him. He was an abnormal child since his birth. His mother was the first person to realize it. His head often fell back so she could not feed him her milk properly. His hands were clenched and turned to his back. His mouth had been dragged to one side, so he could not grasp the teat of the milk bottle. He could not sit up with the help of pillows around him.

When Christy became a year old, his parents took him to the hospitals and clinics. But almost all the doctors were hopeless. They assured his parents that nothing could be done for him. But his mother did not agree with them. She decided to treat him like other normal children. His mother’s decision was crucial for his future. The relatives suggested his parents that they should behave him as an abnormal child, but luckily for him they rejected. His mother had wanted to prove to them that he was not an imbecile.

Christy became 5 years old, but he still could not speak except producing a gurgling sound. He also couldn’t sit up. His mother had to patiently look after him along with her five other small children.

One day his mother showed him a great big storybook telling him the names of different animals and flowers. She kept on trying to get his reaction, but he couldn’t. So, she left the room crying.

It was a cold December day. It was snowing outside, so all the family members were gathered round the big kitchen fire. In a corner, Mona and Paddy, two of his younger sisters, were writing on an old chipped slate with a bright yellow piece of chalk. Christy was near to them watching their activity. He was suddenly quite attracted by  the yellow chalk. So, he reached out and took the stick of chalk out of his sister’s hand with his left foot. Even he didn’t know what he was doing. He held the chalk tightly between his toes and scribbled on the slate. Then, he stopped. He felt sweaty. Everybody around him stared at him. His mother knelt down beside him, wrote the letter ‘A’ on the floor, and told him to copy it. Very laboriously, in his fourth attempt, Christy was able to copy the letter.

His mother shed the tear of happiness. His father lifted him onto his shoulder. Now, he would speak through the written words.