When Life Gives You Lemons
We do a bit of Research into handicapped travel issues and provide some solutions. Mobility, Hearing, Sight, Mental issues included. so far our episodes have included some information on Ataxia, Cerebral Palsy, Deafness, Dancing Sickness, Gulf War Syndrome, Long Covid and Wheelchairs. We are both Disability Advocates and realize there are too many diseases and conditions to cover and try to discuss the most common problems disabled people face and spread some awareness of disabled issues non-disabled people are unaware of.
CORRECTION
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When Life Gives You Lemons
Overcoming Barriers: The Empowering Path of Adaptive Martial Arts
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Imagine a world where cerebral palsy is not a barrier but a stepping stone to personal growth and empowerment. Join us on an inspiring journey as Kevin and Pommy Henry share their transformative experiences living with spinal cell viral ataxia and shine a spotlight on the remarkable Alexis Johnson. With dreams of becoming a zookeeper and a passion for nursing, Alexis defies limitations through her dedication to adaptive martial arts. Her story of resilience and determination is a testament to the power of perseverance and the strength of the human spirit.
Dive into the world of personal growth through martial arts and the unexpected joy found in cross-country running. Kevin and Pommy explore how these physical pursuits become more than just a challenge—they're a therapeutic escape and a source of camaraderie. Discover how mastering techniques like the jump front kick or pushing through a tough race reveals inner strengths and builds a strong competitive spirit. Through personal anecdotes, they illustrate how overcoming obstacles leads to self-improvement, resilience, and a positive mindset that impacts all aspects of life.
Our heartfelt conversation with Alexis and her martial arts instructor, Master Alan Williams, uncovers the empowering role of adaptive martial arts. Alan's insights into his teaching approach highlight Alexis's incredible achievements in Taekwondo, showcasing how tailored instruction can unlock potential in individuals with disabilities. As we broaden our focus to include the deaf community, we invite listeners to explore diverse perspectives and support networks. Don't miss out on more enriching stories and resources by checking out our companion YouTube channel, Making the Lemonade.
hi everybody, it's kevin. Uh, this is a classic episode from last season. Enjoy and don't forget to like us and and subscribe, thank you, welcome to our podcast with Life Digital. I'm Kevin Henry and my partner in crime and life is Pommy Henry. I have a rare disease known as spinal cell viral ataxia, which is a neuromuscular disease. This has left me with mobility challenges, with a speech impediment and noise-induced anxiety.
Speaker 3:Living with these disabilities for over 20 years, we have developed helpful hints and life lessons that we would like to share with you. That has made our life easier and possible in some cases. We consider ourselves disability advocates and intend to educate ourselves and you about other disabilities and issues, and also talk about things we find interesting and frequently encounter when we're out and about.
Speaker 1:And today we're going to talk a little bit about cerebral palsy.
Speaker 3:So their plan was that we're going to take a disability and really do a deep dive into it so we understand it and can share what we know with you. We also a few of these. We have friends that have these disabilities, and so we will be using some interviews with them to discuss their point of view and how they handle the disability.
Speaker 1:Those interviews are coming up in a minute, but we're going to talk for a minute about cerebral palsy, kind of give you some background on the disorder etc.
Speaker 3:Cerebral palsy is a group of disabilities that affects a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture. It is caused by damage or abnormalities in the brain, usually before, after or during childbirth or early childhood. Cerebral palsy can have different types of symptoms depending on what part of the brain was affected, but some common symptoms are stiff or floppy muscles, uncontrolled or slow movements, difficulty walking, speaking, swallowing and eating, problems with vision, hearing and seizures, learning disabilities and intellectual impairments. There is no current cure for cerebral palsy, but there is quite a few treatments for this condition, including medicine, therapies, surgeries and assisted devices. We asked how common this was, and it happens in 2 to 2.5 per 1,000 live births. Why did we pick cerebral palsy first?
Speaker 1:Kevin Well it used to be a lot more common in earlier days, when medicine wasn't as far advanced as it is now. Now it's more than likely caused by either a drug interaction or an accident that occurs shortly after birth.
Speaker 3:I think we talked about this when we were talking about President.
Speaker 1:Franklin Roosevelt.
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm Franklin Roosevelt.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we talked about this during the FDR episode too. I believe it was.
Speaker 3:As it was a possible. Maybe he had this instead of the, Instead of the polio, that's one of the possibilities, yeah.
Speaker 1:So what we're going to do is we're going to have two interviews. The first is a talk with a young lady named Alexis Johnson who is a part of my martial arts class at Adelaide Mussel Kwan, and then we're going to interview Master Alan Williams, who runs the Adelaide School.
Speaker 3:That you attended and helped with your therapy. Yeah, and we met Alexis when she was about six years old. How did that all come about?
Speaker 1:Well, actually it all started with a demonstration that Master Williams performed at her school. Pastor Williams performed at her school, and in that he uses people from the disabled class, such as myself and shows how he's adapted the martial arts techniques to things they can do instead of focusing on what they cannot do. Alexis was really interested in it and spoke with him to get the details and took the time to talk to her parents, and that information is covered during your interview as well.
Speaker 1:She was spunky, oh yeah, and that is also quite apparent when you get to listen to her talk. She's very self-confident.
Speaker 3:And she is now about 20 years old.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's actually enrolled in college and studying nursing, so enjoy the interviews. I wanted to ask you a few things about cerebral palsy, and you just referred to it as CP. Is that like a common thing that I can get away with when talking to people with cerebral palsy?
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you get into talking to people about it, you definitely hear the abbreviation CP, because cerebral palsy is pronounced different ways. It's pronounced cerebral palsy, cerebral palsy, it's just a different pronunciation. So the easier way to do it is just do CP. Most people with CP will know what you are talking about.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Part of the information that we put out is helpful to, for example, friends and family your support group, if you will. Did they get CP as well? That translates to cerebral palsy. Yeah, it just depends on the kind of support group you have and how in depth of the research that they tend to do with it. For my mom and me, it was just always called cerebral palsy. It wasn't until a couple of years later, when I started doing my own research, that I learned that people call it CP. It just kind of depends on what group you're with and how in depth they want to go about it, because there are different severity levels to the cerebral palsy.
Speaker 1:Okay, one thing just popped into my mind that I read somewhere. Is it true, every case of cerebral palsy is a little bit different?
Speaker 2:Yeah, every case is different because there are different severity levels. There's low to mild, to severe, where low it kind of just affects them. Mild is where you can visibly see that it affects them, and severe is not only visible but you can also hear it, because they're kind of laid back in a wheelchair and they don't really. They don't have anything to move, they vocalize, they can't form physical words.
Speaker 1:Right, right, okay. I first met you at the Outer Limits Muscle Quan martial arts courses. How did you come to learn about Master Williams and his programs for handicapped people?
Speaker 2:Master Williams first stopped by our school, oak Ridge High School, in 2009, the year after he opened his first building, and he was doing a demonstration as part of, like, october, fiscal National Disability Awareness Month, because there's like a week in October where it's Disability Awareness Month and he was doing different programs on it and he was showing that hey, and he brought a few of his students with him to show us like, hey, these guys have this, but they're doing it too. So you know, it was like all right, why not? Went home, talked to mom and dad about it and we gave it a shot, because the only thing I was going to get from it was a benefit Not only just from going, but it was going to help with the muscles and being able to stretch and I was able to make friends who I now consider family. Then I mean, miss Janney watched me from my hip surgery and she'd help me crawl along the backside of the mat to just up and getting walking again after the hip surgery.
Speaker 1:Right, okay, how did progressing in martial arts help you?
Speaker 2:It definitely challenged me, like cause there were certain and it's also like a challenge to myself with that, because there are certain things that I see other kids do that like oh hey, I want to kick this higher.
Speaker 2:Oh hey, I want to do this, and I had to find a way to figure out how to do that.
Speaker 2:But they were also there to help me do that as well, like if it was a goal or something that I wanted to do, like, hey, I want to be able to kick higher with my right leg. He would give me the instruction sitting there how to do it like the jump front kick. I couldn't get as high as the other kids and you know that's just something that I had to work with, and so one of the ways that I learned how to do a jump front kick was actually by sir Paul, who sat there and taught me hop with one foot and kind of do it like a bunny hop, you know, like you're jumping and kick one leg higher than the other and see how high you could go. But also part of that is you have to stretch. You've got to sit there, you've got to stretch, you've got to loosen those muscles, because if they're tight, you're not going to be able to get where you want to get to go and how you want to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, been there done that to do it. Yeah right, been there, done that.
Speaker 2:uh, okay, when you talk about working with sir paul and we talked a little bit about martial arts, but in general would you say you're a competitive person I am very competitive, like if I get a challenge thrown out in front of me and somebody tells me oh hey, you're not going to be able to do that. One, I'm going to find a way to do it. Two, I'm going to do it. And then, three, I'm going to show you that I can do it, just so I can prove you wrong. Because I might. And this is what I always tell people is, I might be just a little bit different, but that's not going to try and stop me from doing what you can do or what anybody else can do.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm glad to hear that attitude.
Speaker 2:I am very determined.
Speaker 1:Because of the way I talk, people assume they don't know me, assume I'm mentally challenged in some way. No, I just have problems talking the part of my brain that says this is how you talk is not working correctly so.
Speaker 2:Right. And everybody's got a little. I'm sure everybody's got a little bit of something that you know something's not working right or something doesn't work right, but some of us have. Everybody does, some of us have it a little bit more than others.
Speaker 1:Correct.
Speaker 2:It makes it a blessing not a curse.
Speaker 1:Did you know? I don't know if you knew this or not, but mastrogams cannot fully extend its left arm.
Speaker 2:Yep, I knew that one.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I forget how he told that story, but he's told that story before.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it doesn't sound like a pleasant experience, but he's you know, I had that mindset from his own perspective of okay, I have to learn it the right way, but I can't do this. You know, I can get it done, but it won't look correct.
Speaker 2:It's all about changing it, so it works for you.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:There's always some way to modify it. There's always some way to make it work for you that other people don't think about. But as long as it gets the same end goal, it doesn't really matter how you got there Exactly.
Speaker 1:Does it really matter how you got there Exactly Now? One thing I wanted to ask you about was towards the end of where I talked to you last. You were still in high school and you decided to run cross country.
Speaker 1:Now the question I have is why. I mean, just obviously you probably saw that as a challenge or something to do your way, but I never enjoyed cross-country, and to approach cross-country with an even more severe handicap, I just couldn't put myself through that cross country was one of those things where you know, they brought it up in seventh grade and to me I had no idea what cross country meant.
Speaker 2:When I thought of cross country I thought, oh, we're just running.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, wrong, scratch that process thought uh, you sit there in the meeting and they're telling us surprise hey, it's junior high, we're gonna be running on the highway, we're gonna be running on the gravel, we're gonna be running hills, we're gonna be running on rough terrain, you know, and they're sitting there and they're explaining all this to me in seventh grade and I'm going oh cool, this sounds like fun, this is where I can get outside, this is where I can play. And I got to. You know, my friends and I got to talking about it, which was really kind of cool, and one of the kids in seventh grade looked at me and said are you going to do it? I said I don't know. I'm going to go talk to my mom Because there were concerns with that of me running and falling.
Speaker 2:You know, running on the highway, me falling, or you know, and it was something because you know, the way my neurologist had explained the stamina portion of cross country to me was when normal people and their muscles get tired, they stair, step down. It's one little thing at a time go from top peak performance down to nothing in a matter of minutes to, in this case, minutes, because you know, running a 5k took me 33 minutes to do. But right, starting to run cross country, it turned into something I was curious about. And then the competitive part of me kicked in, especially after some girl told me we wouldn't ever go to state as a freshman team because I'm a slow runner. And I was like, okay, well, let's see how this works here, because that freshman year I made seventh man after being told I wasn't gonna make 10th seventh man until my 10th grade or junior year. Well, he put a challenge out, the coach put a challenge out, I took it and I ran with it and cross country wasn't.
Speaker 2:You know, hey, junior high was a mile and a half. A mile and a half is easy work For some junior high kids and for some others not so much. But a mile and a half was nothing compared to the 5Ks that I ran for four years straight Because in order to get in shape for the races and just all over for cross country, if you're running a mile and a half as junior high practice, you're running three or four miles For high school. If you're running three miles, the girls were running anywhere from four to six miles and the boys were running six to eight miles Double the length of what they had to do because then three miles would be easier and it would also build up your endurance and your stamina easier and it would also build up your endurance and your stamina.
Speaker 2:Running cross country was also like another thing of therapy to me. I was outside, I could just let loose. It was a stress reliever for me because I could just run and I could go, didn't have to worry about school, didn't have to worry about studying, didn't have to worry about my grades. I didn't have to worry about my grades. I didn't have to worry about anything. I just had to run. It was something easy to take my mind off of.
Speaker 1:That's one thing that didn't change from when I was in high school yeah, you run a lot more than you need to for the race, to get ready for the race.
Speaker 2:Not to mention the warm-up that went with it before practice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the coach would say, hey, go out and run a mile or two to warm up. I'm like, uh, do I?
Speaker 2:have to. You want me to do that before we actually run.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, our workouts were. He would always do ab workouts and those would just kill me before I even started running. So by the time we were in the middle of our workout, everybody else had already just like started to break a sweat and then when they'd actually run, they'd full-on blow and break a sweat. I was already dripping in sweat by the time we got to the ab workouts because I was doing twice the amount of work for my muscles that everybody else was putting in, like they were still getting loose and everything, and my muscles were already like I'm done, I want to go. I'm like too bad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, You're trying to convince them to play along and they weren't having it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's when you just, you know, for me me at least that's when I would put music in if I had it with me that day, if I had it on my phone or whatever, and I would just run because I could still hear the traffic and I would run. Or, you know, when I didn't have it all right cool, find a piece of scenery out there that I wanted to get to, that's my checkpoint, that's where I would run to, that's where I'd be like, okay, hey, you get to here, you could walk. But then me being me, I was like, okay, actually, let's go a little bit further past that, let's do this, let's get to here. And I kind of did that in practice a couple of times and like within the first month, coach sire was like behind me because she would run with us, the coaches would run with us, her son would be leading, the boys, the girls would just take off on their own and I was in the back half and coach would just be behind me.
Speaker 2:She was kind of like my little running buddy for the first couple of weeks, because I would start out behind her and then I would catch her and then I'd get past her and then I would just keep going. And then one practice I'll never forget I hadn't stopped running, and usually by the time we get to the top of this hill there at the four-way in oak ridge, I would have to walk because my legs would already be dead. And I just kept turning a corner and hit the downhill and got halfway down and all I hear is coach then keep going, johnson. I'm like I'm doing something, apparently.
Speaker 1:Okay, we're going to change gears a little bit. If you were to have any job in the world now bear in mind I know you're a lot younger than me, mind, I know you're a lot younger than me, so money may not necessarily play into it to begin with what job would you like to have? I?
Speaker 2:don't know If I could do anything in the world, it would probably be a zookeeper, because I like the big cats, I like the exotic animals.
Speaker 1:That's kind of a good answer.
Speaker 2:That's something I could see myself doing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I could see you doing that too.
Speaker 2:I'd just pick up about every stray cat or dog I see anyway. So if I got to work at a zoo, I'm sure I'd lose my mind. I'm sure I'd be like that little kid in kindergarten on the first day, like ooh, look at this.
Speaker 1:Okay, Alexis, how many dogs or cats do you own?
Speaker 2:Right now I own two dogs and three cats, and that sums that
Speaker 1:up. Okay, last question If you were like omnipotent for like a nanosecond, what would you wish for If it were all up to you?
Speaker 2:Oh, I don't just stick me in an ocean somewhere, just literally drop me off on a beach somewhere and leave me. I would be good.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, but obviously your time is not young if you're in one of those programs. So okay, alexis, thank you very much.
Speaker 2:If I could be stuck on a beach? Yeah, I would be stuck on a beach.
Speaker 1:I'm here today with Alan Williams from Outer Limits Musulman. Alan, why don't you take a minute to tell everybody about your school?
Speaker 4:Sure, kevin. Thank you Again. As Kevin just iterated here, I am a 6th Don Black Belt in Taekwondo, a 5th Don Black Belt in Hapkido, now a Master Instructor in Kali from the Philippines and then also a first brown in Judo.
Speaker 1:Pretty impressive. Do you call a student you have by the name of Alexis Johnson?
Speaker 4:Oh yes, of course Alexis is a memory we'll never forget.
Speaker 1:She's a sweetheart and quality student forget she's a sweetheart and quality student. Just uh say for a minute, say something about alexis and how she fit into your educational system alexis.
Speaker 4:uh, I was had the opportunity to meet after doing a demonstration at her high school. Alexis at the time was only six years old and, ironically, now I guess I've known her for approximately 17 years give or take, and Alexis begun with us some time ago in Taekwondo and I believe since that time had reached her first or second dawn in Taekwondo.
Speaker 1:Cool. I just spoke with her the other day Apparently family's doing well, her family's doing well, she's doing well, everything is good in her life and she's actually going to school studying nursing.
Speaker 4:I heard about that. She is a workaholic besides her former martial arts basis. Alexis doesn't seem to slow down and nothing seems to stop her.
Speaker 1:That's true. A few years ago, the last time I talked to her she was in high school and running cross country. I was like, okay, why I had to ask her why she just, you know, thought she started out doing it in middle school, thought it sounded like something, you know, she'd get outside have fun, play with the other kids. She didn't realize how much work was involved. But when she got into it she figured out what she had to do and did it.
Speaker 4:So pretty amazing, kevin. What she told me is how she, even if she ended up in last place, she never stopped her drive and the potential she pushed was amazing because, because of your time, you worked as a physical therapy assistant.
Speaker 1:Is that correct? That was correct. Did you know other patients with cerebral palsy?
Speaker 4:Several, because I practiced for over 26 years. So, yes, I was very acquainted with them.
Speaker 1:So how does Alexis compare to those other patients?
Speaker 4:To be honest, I've only seen one other patient per se that tried to push themselves with such an illness. I personally can't imagine I've never gone through something such as these ladies have gone through. But Alexis has just fought and even though you can visibly see some of that effect on her life, you don't see her stopping. I can't imagine some of the pain she goes through or some of the limitations she may have gone through, but I've never seen her stop trying or pushing through to obtain her goals.
Speaker 4:Well said, alexis certainly has a personality that she is going to do whatever needs to be done program that I feel like we aim to reach any individual with that opportunity to take their skills and help them to do what they can do. But Alexis was self-driven. Although she came to us with a need, she took that need and she's the one that progressed and drove herself.
Speaker 1:Now take a minute and address. If a potential student wants to get in touch with you, or an instructor, say, from another part of the country, wants to consult with you and find out how to approach the situation with a certain disability you have experience with, how would they get in touch with you? What is the best way?
Speaker 4:Sure, obviously they're welcome to go to our Outer Limits Martial Arts Facebook just to kind of follow us and see the pictures and see the information. But for a direct conversation I really encourage them to call me directly. My home number, or my cell number, as it were, is 573-579-5036. They are welcome to email me or Facebook me, but I can reach them more quickly and more readily by calling me on my phone or texting me.
Speaker 1:Okay. Is there anything else you'd like to say about Alexis or about your school?
Speaker 4:As far as Alexis, I just continue to encourage her, look forward to the next thing that she's going to do. I watch the things on society and the world for her to show up for that next thing, much like you have, Kevin, and very proud of you and your accomplishments. Much like you have, Kevin, and very proud of you and your accomplishments.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you. Thank you for being with us and look forward to talking to you again.
Speaker 3:My pleasure Boy. I really enjoyed that, Kevin, I enjoyed listening to those interviews.
Speaker 1:So our next episode is going to be about deafness. Before we get a lot of people stating the obvious yes, we realize that deaf people could not hear a podcast. So this is more to educate everybody else about deafness and the deaf community, including their support groups, which often include friends or family, so they can either point out things they've learned that they're to the deaf community, or perhaps give us some feedback give us some feedback on some of our misconceptions or things that we failed to point out okay see you next time.
Speaker 1:All right, bye. Oh, just in case anybody needs to get a hold of us, they can do that through our website, which is wwwwhenlifegivesyoulemonsnet. All one word. Yeah, I don't think you can type it any other way. Your browser will freak out.
Speaker 3:Bye now. We are always looking to improve the podcast, so if you want to hear a specific topic, have a differencing opinion, want to add something to the conversation, drop us an email. Our contact information is listed on our website. It's wwwwhenlifegivesyoulemonsnet. We have recently added a companion YouTube channel called Making the Lemonade. If you enjoy the podcast, continue your enjoyment by joining us on YouTube Soundstripe. Soundstripe.
Speaker 1:Soundstripe, soundstripe. Thank you,
