"As a result, I have learned to dress myself, almost completely. I can
take a bath by myself, wash my face, brush my teeth, put on most of my
clothes, and comb my hair when it is not too long. I can put on and take
off my eyeglasses. I can use the scissors to cut paper, cloth, or any
other material with which I am working, and then thread the needle, knot
the thread and do the necessary sewing. I can sweep and dust, mop and
scrub, and even blacken stoves. I can sketch and draw, although I have
never had a lesson in these accomplishments and have acquired the little
knowledge and skill I possess in this art solely by practice. In the
same way I have also learned to sharpen my own pencils, opening and
closing the knife myself. I have even made articles of furniture, such
as small bookcases and writing desks, sawing all the lumber, driving the
nails, putting on the hinges, and finally varnishing the completed
article. In short, I do with my feet almost anything that others do with
their hands.
"At the close of my high school course I found myself, at the age of
twenty-one, left practically on my own resources. The fund which had
been raised for me was exhausted, the obligation of the state society
which had taken charge of me had ceased, my father had passed away, my
brothers were poor and could not help me, and my sister had gone out of
my life. For a while I earned a little money by selling my drawings,
name-cards and other work. Then I gave exhibitions, in homes and
elsewhere, of my skill with my feet. Eventually I found it possible to
attend Taylor University at Upland, Indiana, and while there the hope I
had long cherished of some day being able to be of some help to poor,
deserving, crippled children took shape and my life work was made plain
to me.
"A Home for Disabled Children was planned and eventually started in
Maywood, Illinois. I took special studies to qualify me to handle
properly and capably the work of financial secretary of the Home. During
the year and a half between the starting of the Home and the writing of
this article five children have been cared for and a great deal of
improvement has been observed in all of them.
"It is not the intention to overcrowd the Home with children, or make it
institutional in any way, but to give them a real home with good care
and Christian training, and also an education which will enable them to
become self-supporting. In this way I hope to show that even a girl
without arms, born and raised under the most unfavorable circumstances,
can accomplish much good by lending a 'helping hand' to other cripples,
and thus make their lives better, sweeter and more useful."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account