VIRGINIA

PHOTO BY RANDY BACON

VIRGINIA

“When I Was Twelve…”

When I was twelve, I went to the Fair. My mama & my stepdad had tickets to the new racetrack. So my brother, sister, and I found a gap in the fence, where we could watch the races for free. A police officer came and chased us off once, but we really wanted to see these racing cars!

I remember thinking, “They sure aren’t going very fast.” Then one of the cars came straight at the fence. I don’t remember much after that, except the sound of a siren. My mama told me I was in a coma for a week. I had been hit by the car and the fence had buried me under it. A man from my church helped to get me out from under the fence and said they could see my brain through the break in my head.

At first, the doctors told my mama, they weren’t certain if I would live. When I woke up, there wasn’t anything they could do for me. Just hope for the best and see how I healed.

A month later when I got out of the hospital, school was starting. But, something was different. I couldn’t understand anything. I was held back and then put in Special Ed classes. I was told I couldn’t read and I wasn’t smart enough. School was really hard and the kids made fun of me, so I quit school when I turned 16.

Now, I’m an adult and when my caregiver asked me what I wanted to do the most, I told her, I want to learn how to read. She signed me up with a reading program with the Ozarks Literacy Council. They tested me and said I needed to start at Level 1 for Beginners. I am now working on the Level 4 workbook and completed the tests for my 1, 2, & 3 levels and I have the certificates on my wall. I own all the Little House on the Prairie books and have read them several times. I like Sword in the Stone and The Time Machine. Every week I meet with my tutor and we study. You are never too old to learn. I finally feel smart, I am smart!