From Me, Who Cannot Be Cured

Synopsis

Intellectual disabilities cannot be cured.
It is not a matter of discipline, nor is it a lack of effort.

There are many things I do not understand.
Having lived in this world,
I wonder what this child likes?

I was saved by the adults who watched over me.

Now,
I have something I want to tell parents who are struggling in the same way.

Story

From me, who cannot be cured, to you.

In my world,
the question 'why?' was always falling around me.
Why can everyone understand things so quickly?

Why is it that I,
even after hearing the same thing many times, still do not understand?

Why am I being scolded?
There were days when I didn't even know the reason.

'Get it together.'
'Why can't you do it?'
'How many times do I have to tell you?'

Those words
sank heavily into my chest.

But I was not being lazy.
It was just that the way I saw the world was a little different
from everyone else's.

One day, a teacher at school said,
This child seems to breathe easier
only when they are doing what they love.

With those words,
my world changed a little.

I was given time to draw,
and the number of times I was scolded decreased.

Only when I was drawing,
the 'whys' would quiet down, and my heart would find peace.

At home, too, my mother kept searching for what I liked.
'I wonder what this child likes?'
'What can I do to make this child smile?'

Not through discipline.
She tried to find what I liked.

Instead of blaming me for what I couldn't do,
she gently expanded what I could do.

That accumulation of care protected my heart.

Intellectual disabilities cannot be cured.
But if you have something you love,
the strength to live will grow.

What children living in a world of 'whys' need
is not to be scolded or forced to conform.

It is to have someone find what they like
and help them realize it.

Even though I cannot be cured,
because I had things I loved,
I have made it this far.

Conclusion

An intellectual disability is not a matter of discipline.

It does not mean the person is not trying,
nor does it mean the parents are doing something wrong.

It is just that the way they see the world is a little different.

So please,
'I wonder what this child likes?'
'What can I do to make this child smile?'
I ask that you watch over them gently with those thoughts.

From me, who cannot be cured,
to you who are struggling now, that is all
I want to say.

What I want to convey

Whether you have a disability or not,

we are all living our lives to the fullest.
So,
please do not label someone as 'pitiful.'

Because the very act of living life to the fullest
is precious.

May we become a society that helps one another.
I sincerely wish for such a future.

I must convey my gratitude.