When not to accept defeat is the only option
By George L. Tibbetts Jr.
NOTE: Book signing at Planet Fitness on Tuesday (Jan 12) from 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm, 260 Civic Center Drive, Augusta, ME (207) 623-0023
It was a bit treacherous on the day that Mr. Brown arrived at my house to do an interview with me. Our driveway was snow covered and beneath it there was an icy base. I opted not to offer my guest any direct assistance because I sensed that his response would have been that he would make his own way just fine. From my doorway, I witnessed his unsteady gait as he approached the house making sure that his every step and movement of his cane were well planned.
Mr. Brown and I had never met face to face before but we had talked many times via the internet and the miracle of email. Upon introducing ourselves to each other, we settled in around the dining room table where he revealed much to me about his life and his many experiences. As I knew he would, Mr. Brown proved to be engaging, confident, intelligent and, most importantly, inspiring. He brought with him a copy of his first book “Sunshine on My Cane” published under the pen name of Scott Front.
Before our interview, I had only known that Mr. Brown was a writer who had become disabled over the years and that he was most interested in articles placed on our website, thevalleyvoice.org, that addressed issues relating to the people’s initiative to enact a law that would allow for marijuana to be prescribed for certain medical conditions.
During our interview, Mr. Brown spoke freely and openly and for some time. He told me about his life, his goals and ambitions. I found it very interesting that in the course of our conservation, the words he referred to the least were “my disability.” At first, I thought that he was in some simple state of denial. However, I soon realized that I really wasn’t talking to a person who was either taxed or limited by any circumstance or condition.
As concerns Mr. Brown’s background, he was born and raised in Richmond. He went to school there and graduated from Richmond High School where he played baseball, basketball and soccer. He was born with a genetic, spinal degenerative condition and the on-set for his condition surfaced when he was fifteen. He went on to tell me that this disease does not attack the muscles of the legs. Rather, the disease effects the brain’s signals to the legs hampering stability and balance.
Mr. Brown’s prognosis was not good and he was told that he would be destined to live out his life confined to a wheelchair. Clearly, the young Mr. Brown either wasn’t listening to the doctors or, if he was, simply decided that his future was in his hands and not to be determined by medical books and statistical information. Upon graduating from high school, He also served as a U.S. Air Force medic for ten years. Take note that he just turned 45, is totally self-sufficient and highly motivated to continue an independent lifestyle.
“I don’t want to be on social security and I am determined to do what is necessary to maintain my independence,” he said. I know from having lived in Richmond myself for several years that his way of thinking is shared by most people who call Richmond home.
In his lifetime so far Mr. Brown mentions proudly that he was married for nineteen years and has four children ranging from eighteen to twenty-two years of age. He is also a busy caretaker for his other siblings and his father who are confined to wheel chairs. Utilizing all available resources, he has also took advantage of vocational rehabilitation services he was offered and attended the University of Maine for four years where he studied, which comes as no surprise, social services. In 2009 he also studied Anthropology.
To keep both mentally and physically healthy, Mr. Brown can be found at Planet Fitness in Augusta where he spends considerable time working out with leg weights and toning exercises. He is a familiar face there and takes pride in the fact that people look to him for inspiration and guidance.
“Sunshine on My Cane” is a digest of his background, tests and accomplishments. In “Can We Call it a Loan,” Chapter 5 he writes a summation that makes the reader feel his sense of loss, around that chapter are others that deal with coping, progress, hope and the power of positive thinking.
His book at the present time is available at the UMA Bookstore, the State Library, Gardiner Public Library and Lithgow Library. It is also available at lulu.com, Barnes and Noble.com and by the middle of February at Amazon.com. He is currently in negotiations with the West Gardiner Travel Plaza, Hannaford Brothers and Mr. Paperwork while also looking for more outlets until he finds the right “niche.”
Mr. Brown is an inspiration for us all and I am very pleased that I am able to share his story on our pages. Mr. Brown teaches us through his words and by example, how to stay positive and grow through understanding intentions.
Steve Brown,
thunderstruck20062000@yahoo.com
