There’s a word for this: American hero. Well, the first is the word that represents your life’s ‘struggle.’ That decision plus that tenacity is the struggle to overcome, to become accepting of others, everyday. It is a challenge. Your story about rising to meet this challenge is what America is about, not just overcoming prejudice or with one decision, but knowing that adhering to one’s own group is easy, unchallenging.

When that default group is white and male, then it’s even easier. It’s a form of natural tribalism, of autocracy. But overcoming visual differences and physical limitations of a handicap a person has, the things we see, is a continuous challenge. The individual struggle to overcome those mental barriers to recognize our shared humanity is not as natural as sticking to our groups.
Your story has inspired me deeply to reflect on one of the true meanings of what democracy is, a struggle to overcome out natural prejudices and share our humanity. Your life went in the “righteous” direction, and you seem to be lucky you landed in the right neighborhood with the good parents. Thank you so much for sharing and touching us with your life.