Approaching Seventy in The Bike Lane

ISBN-13: 9781494238018 / Angielski / Miękka / 2014 / 168 str.

Joe Leroy Hemphill; Linda S. Foster

Opis

Defining moments from the life of Joe Hemphill, who has lived with cerebral palsy for seventy years and who rides around town in a power wheelchair using the bike lanes. Joe writes about getting older and needing more help, while staying independent. He also looks back at where he has been and how he got to where he is today. This is a collection of Joe's stories, articles, essays, excerpts from unpublished novels, and letters to the editor of his local newspaper. This book includes recent thoughts and reflections about his current life and dealing with the idea of turning seventy years of age and what the future may hold. Some of these articles and short stories were written as far back as forty-five years ago. Joe includes them along with more current articles and stories to show how he has grown as a person, over the years, as well as how he has grown as a writer. There are journal entries from the year 2013, which deal with getting older, past relationships, and people who are no longer in his life. He talks about a traumatic hospital stay and adjusting to losing some of his independence for the sake of being safer and more secure living on his own and staying out of institutions. Many of the pieces have been published in local newspapers as articles and letters to the editor. Joe realizes that possibly hundreds of thousands of people in the extended circulation areas where he has lived, plus many more online, have read his articles and letters over the years. As you read this book, you will find a man who has cerebral palsy and is reflecting on his life as he is approaching seventy. He is a writer. He speaks of his editor and close friend, Linda. He wants to tell about his life, his adventures, and the pitfalls he has encountered along the way, in the hope of making it a little easier for other people like himself. He put together this collection of his writings to leave a record of his existence. This story is about a gentleman who needs help to do everything. He cannot even get a glass of water without help. Yet, he is concerned about others. He sees God around him. He also hopes that this book will help people to understand and be more compassionate to one another. He hopes to encourage people to make the world a better place. You will find a man involved with life in spite of his limitations. Joe has been a life-long learner and has dedicated much of his time to bettering the lives of other disabled people. And, in writing this book, he also hoped to further the understanding of people with cerebral palsy. His parents, through the strength of their love and dedication, gave him the self esteem to try everything and enjoy life. He hopes he has lived up to their dreams for what his life could be. Reading this book might help you decide if he was successful. This is the third book that Joe has published. The first one was, "Keeping Up With Jerry," and then he published, "It Has Been a Great Ride." With very limited resources, Joe has reached a vast number of people with his writing, his voice, and his opinions about life, being disabled, national politics, social justice, and how we should all treat each other. This has put him on an equal footing with everyone else in his community, this country, and the rest of the world. Not bad for a guy who can't walk, can't do very much of anything for himself, can't speak clearly, and had trouble learning to read. His parents would be proud, if they knew what their son has done with his life. Joe believes they do know.