View From Above

JUST WHEN I thought I understood things somewhat, along comes this view from the 19th floor. It makes me realise I really know twat all.

He is a lawyer and a novelist.

Once, when he was a child, he could hold a pencil. Now at age 31, his range of motion is mostly limited to wiggling his thumbs and toes. His head has to be propped up with a towel. Headsets help him control most of his activities - one to emulate the mouse on his computer, another to use the phone, and a third to respond to verbal commands. He was born with SMA.

He is a funny storyteller. Laughing, he said this:

"Most of my interaction with the world occurs via my head … you could probably cut it off and put it in a jar a la ‘Futurama’ and I would still have a productive life,”

Chewing is difficult so mostly, he ingests his meals through a feeding tube. He weigh only 75 pounds and requires 24-hour care.

"My reason for blogging is simple: In a life where I have to depend on others for everything, writing is one thing that I can do independently.”

And there are two things he doesn’t like. To be called a role model or an inspiration.