This is a Speech I wrote for my public speaking class on Rett Syndorme. As most of you know my cousin, Gracie, has this sydrome. I was asked to share this on Facebook by Colette, Gracie’s grandma. This speech was a great opportunity for me to spread some awareness and enlighten some of the students in my public speaking class. I would also personally like to share this on Facebook today in light of our little Rett Syndrome awareness day tomorrow. I hope you all take the time to read this and learn a little more about our angel, Gracie Sue! (the beginning is a little boring and full of facts, just some requirements I had to meet for the speech, but it will get more personal so keep reading :) I want you all to imagine this: you wake up in the moring but you can’t get out of bed because you can’t walk. You try to holler for help, but you can’t talk. You try to breath but your body won’t let you. You lay there, feeling helpless, until finally someone comes to your aid. This, my classmates, is an example of a morning for a person with Rett Syndrome. Having worked with a child with Rett for some time now, I can personally say that this is one awful disorder. Today, I am going to inform you about what Rett Syndrome is, how it has impacted my life, and how it will impact your life. Let’s begin by learning the basics about Rett Syndrome and what it all entails. Rett Syndrome is a very rare neurological disorder that is most commonly found in females and is currently incurable. According to Mayo Clinic accessed on September 17, 2014,”Rett Syndrome affects the grey matter of the brain and only affects one in every ten-thousand births across the world.” Also, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders accessed on September 17, 2014, “Some features of the disease include: repetitive hand movements, decline in the growth of the head, hands, and feet, seizures, gastrointestinal problems, scoliosis, and loss of verbal, motor, and cognitive abilities.” According to WebMd accessed on September 17, 2014,”Rett Sydrome is cause by a gene mutation on the X chromosome.” Although Rett is not classified as a neurodegenerative disorder, is does come with the problem of shortened life expectancies. According to My Child without Limits accessed on September 17th, 2014,”There are four stages of Rett Syndrome. ”Stage one is diagnosis. Stage two is developmental regression. Stage three is the longest stage and actually can consist of improvements. Stage four is the motor degenerative stage, also another fairly long stage. Now that we know the basics, I will now share with you my personal experience with Rett Syndrome. My life has been forever changed by my cousin Gracie, who has been diagnosed with Rett. Gracie can walk but with some limitations. Gracie cannot talk beyond a few words. She also cannot use her hands beyond simple movements, or eat by herself. Like I mentioned earlier, Gracie has acquired a lot of the common side effects of the disorder. She constantly rings her hands and tries to stick them in her mouth. She has sometimes multiple seizures a day. She has lost her verbal and motor abilities. Although these are all awful things, these are NOT Gracie’s limitations; this is Gracie’s diagnosis. Gracie is not defined by this disorder, and she will be the first one to prove that to you! Time and time again she has not only shocked the doctors but overcome the odds and put so called “limitations” to the test. Gracie is the happiest person I have ever met. She is always happy and giggling. You could not wipe the smile off of her face if you tried. I always say that if you place her in a room with the ten meanest people you know and give them just ten minutes with her they will come out and be the ten nicest people you will ever meet. She just has this effect on people, it’s really unexplainable. Gracie has not only impacted my life in a huge way, but now I am going to tell you how she can change yours The odds of any of you ever meeting anyone with Rett are slim to none. However, there is something very powerful that you can take away from this. Gracie has so many things to be sad for, yet she is the happiest person I have ever met. I think we all need to learn something from her here. Let’s start by appreciating more of what we have instead of worrying about what we don’t. Instead of spending our time complaining or moping, let’s spend more time being happy and grateful. Next, I challenge all of you to never underestimate. Even though Gracie can’t talk, she speaks VOLUMES to me. I have learned more from this little girl than anyone else! I think we all need to throw away the close-mindedness of today’s society and start seeing people for what they really are. Let’s stop limiting people to what they are supposed to accomplish and let them show us what they are capable of! Instead of putting people down, let’s lift them up! Let’s be a light in the darkness and a smile in a world full of sadness. It may sound cliché, but what we really need to do is determine a person’s worth based on their content instead of judging them by what others say we should perceive them as. I say all of these things to you today not to depress you, but to enlighten you and lift your spirits just as this little girl has done for me so many times. Overall, today we have talked about what Rett is, how it’s affected me, and how it will affect you. All of these things are full of great information. However, if you remember one thing from my speech today I wish it not to be the terrible side effects of this disorder or what gene the mutation occurs on, but to always keep your mind open and to never underestimate! God sometimes places blessings in most unlikely of places, don’t limit yourself and miss out on what he has in store for you! Thank you for allowing me to share my angel, Gracie Sue, with all of you today! Thank you!
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 00:15:15 +0000