National Adult Literacy Database

July 15, 2002

This week, we have a story written by Johnnie Kupusa, from Nanaimo, BC. Johnnie has attended Literacy Nanaimo for six years. He hopes someday to work or volunteer with mentally handicapped people. He knows some of the problems they have in their lives, because he is also disabled. Johnnie is interested in a lot of things, such as learning about computers, as well as his education. He went back to school at this time in his life because he wants to learn about disabilities and help mentally disabled people. Literacy has helped him reach his goal in life, given him independence and helped him strive for his dreams. He thanks all the people in his life for helping him and giving him their support.

Little Bo will never be Prince with his Disability

by Johnnie Kupusa

In August of 1972 a little baby was born in Vancouver British Columbia with a serious illness. The disease was called Spina Bifida. The baby was badly affected by it. The doctors told his mother it would take twenty-four hours to tell if her son would live or die, but the baby did live. His name was little Bo Tyson.

My name is Madame Chambray and my job was to go to Vancouver British Columbia to visit a center for the mentally and physically disabled to learn about their new ideas for dealing with behavior problems. When I was ready to go to the center I began to get a little nervous about the trip. I remember taking this flight before, when I was nine months pregnant. I was on a business flight back to the Principality of Charlotte when I went into labor. The plane stopped at Vancouver international airport where there was an ambulance waiting on the runaway to take me to the hospital where it was necessary for me to have a cesarean section. After the baby was born the doctor told me about my baby. He was born with a disability. My parents the Prince and Princess were notified at once of the birth and the disability of the child. When I recovered from the operation and the birth of my son my lover and his parents were at the hospital. My lover refused to talk about the situation regarding my father's decision about the child. However he still loves me very much.

What my father did to us was wrong. My father is the Prince of Charlotte and I'm next in line for the throne. My father said a baby with that disability like my son couldn't inherit the throne after me. He made the arrangement to put up the baby up for adoption. And he thought he had found a good home for my son.

When I got back to my country I decided to help children with disabilities and I started a home for them. For the next twenty years I traveled the world looking for ways to help the children. That is why I ended up at a center in Vancouver. While I was visiting the center in Vancouver I met little Bo. He has light bond hair he six feet tall and weight about 155 also he wore glasses and all the girls think he was a good catch. He was the first person to came up to introduce himself to me. I also met the others at the center, but I couldn't stop thinking about Bo. I spoke to his instructors and they told me Bo had an eating and behavior disorders. Little Bo worked very hard to overcome his disabilities. They told me when he wanted to be as nice and kind a person as he could be. They also told me not to believe everything Bo said. When I saw Bo again we sat down and talked for along while about things he liked and disliked. I asked him if he had any friends there and he told me about Luke and Mike. Then Mike and Luke came into the room and I was able to meet them also.

Later I spoke to another instructor, and he told me that little Bo's eating and behavior problems were very severe. He said that little Bo had been put up for adoption when he was a baby. His adoptive parents could not put up with his behavior so they sent him to live at the center at a young age. His friend Luke Keill has Cystic Fibrosis and has to use a puffer to breathe. He is very quiet all the time and he likes girls a lot. Mike O'Neal is a large person with dark horned rimmed glasses. He doesn't like people who are in authority and he has bad behavior problems. The instructor said when the three of them get together they cause a lot of problems and they are turning all the staff's hair white. I stayed for a month and half at the center and I learned many useful things that I can do at my center in Charlotte.

I wrote a report to the government about my trip to British Columbia and I sent a copy to the center in Vancouver to let them know; I thought it was a fine beautiful and wonderful place. The clients at the center are warm, loving and caring about everything around them. Also the staff are working so hard for the clients in the center trying to do the right thing for all mentally handicapped people.