MHE and Me
I love neon colors, especially lime green. Hehe, that’s mostly what I wear. I don’t belong to a "group", but I have the greatest friends ever. Sometimes, it seems like I hang out with a lot of guys. I don’t always though, I hang out with plenty girls. I’ve never met someone with MHE, other than my grandparents, but they have never really admitted it. MHE, I guess, does play a large part in my life. I’ve had fourteen surgeries, mostly on my legs. I don’t usually tell people that I have MHE, only if it’s absolutely necessary. I deal with the pain and fatigue by myself. It doesn’t matter how sore I am, I still take the steps (my school has 3 stories). I used to be really insecure about my scars and everything, so I would always wear jackets and jeans. I felt really distant and different in middle school. I guess I was pretty awkward. I’m not anymore. You could say that I embrace being different. I don’t mind so much to show my legs and arms; I’m a lot more outgoing and active.
I’m a very busy person. I’m in Foreign Language Club, Theater, Band, and Your Choice. I love to speak French. Well, I’m a proud theater/band geek. Theater takes a lot of my time, but I love to act, sing, and dance. Sadly, I didn’t have enough room in my schedule for Chorus. I also enjoy crazy and wacky parts. My best friends are in theater, so yep, they are all pretty weird. Like this one time, Scotty G. and Dan ran though a volleyball game in frilly pink dresses. It was great. Our Principal, Mr. Leonard said, "Sorry boys, but we don’t do that stuff around here." They explained that they were in Theater, so it was perfectly ‘normal’. My last period is Band. In my high school you can take band instead of P.E. Anyway, I’m a percussionist. I play any percussion instrument imaginable, seriously. I’m in marching band, but I don’t march. I play the marimba in pit. I am not able to use 4 mallets, because of the bumps on my fingers (around 40). I also play the piano (one with unweighted keys), and the trombone.
Everyday, after school I get on the bus and go to the middle school for Your Choice. I’ve been in it for about 4 years. I recently earned the rank of Sr. Peerleader. I guess I should explain what Your Choice is. It’s a program funded by the National Guard, so it’s a lot like the military. We wear uniforms, run laps, do push ups, sit ups, and have fun. I’m their "poster child". When I first entered the program, I was a year out of 2 hip reconstructions (both hips), 4 knee surgeries (both knees), and 2 ankle surgeries. I was not able to walk long distances, run, you know normal kid stuff. I stayed in the program, and by the end of my 1st year, I could run the mile in 9 minutes flat, and do 86 push-ups in one minute. I even went to boot camp. That was not very fun on my part. I am not able to do that stuff anymore, because I need shoulder surgery again, and my knees bother me a lot. Now, I call drills, teach classes, and make speeches telling people my story. I don’t like it much, but it makes more people join. One of our instructors is handicapped, and has to use a cane. She gives me a lot of inspiration to do things in spite of MHE. She taught me never to say "I can’t", because then, we never will.
I love music, it seems like my IPod is always in my ears. I don’t listen to rap, or country. I’m not going to lie, I listen to Broadway. My favorite musicals are Rent and Wicked. Viva La Vie Boheme! I’m very random, and I break out into song and dance when ever I feel like it. Not in class, because I’m a good student. I also love fashion. My family doesn’t have a lot of money, so I can’t wear the labels I want to all of the time.
I have one sister, Jessica, and a baby brother on the way. My dad died before I was born, so now my mom, Michelle, is married to my step dad, Dustin. My mom is really cool. I spent a lot of time with her my 6th grade year, when she home schooled me because of major surgeries. I have 2 cats, Blackie and Kentin. Since I’m single, Kentin is the closest thing that I have to a boyfriend. You’re jealous, because he’s all mine!
Jeebus, I make my life sound hectic! I guess, in a way, it is. I choose it to be this way, because it takes my mind off pain. I won’t let MHE get in the way of what I really want to do. This is the best I can explain myself. Quoting from one of my favorite lines from "Secrets":
"Who am I? I’m an artist, a musician, a dreamer, a thinker, a lover. My passion runs deep, my emotions run deeper. I’m practical. I’m irresponsible. I’m a realist. I feel everything with all my being. I dream with all my might. Maybe I seem incomprehensible, and maybe you don’t understand, but that’s ‘cause you’re on the outside looking in from a world away, and I’m in here [Taps her chest]. That’s not important though, ‘cause I understand who am I, and what my life’s gonna be. And I’ve learned to pretend that’s all that matters."
If you want to get to know me better e-mail me at lizzie_chapman11@yahoo.com or add me on myspace. My URL is...http://www.myspace.com/lizziechapman14
