Redwood School & Rehabilitation Center Inc

A miracle is nothing more than making the impossible possible!  Children and adults with severe and multiple disabilities know exactly what this means.  From a young age, many individuals with disabilities have been told they will not be able to live independently, work, learn, or take care of themselves.  At Redwood, they learn quite the opposite:  Anything is possible!  Take Marilyn, for example.

Marilyn was not always disabled.  “People sometimes think I’ve had a stroke,” says Marilyn, “but I haven’t.  I have a closed head injury and that is different.”  Nearly twenty years ago, she was in a serious car accident.  Marilyn suffered a sudden blow to the head, which knocked her brain against her skull impacting the cells and tissue.  The trauma affected Marilyn’s entire body and put her in a coma for several months.

“Mom worked as a school secretary for over twenty years,” says Kim, her daughter, “but after the wreck, she had to quit her job and go on disability.”

When Marilyn came to Redwood, she could no longer type or perform simple tasks.  She could no longer drink liquids because of the threat of pneumonia they posed and had to rely on a g-tube for consuming liquids.  She was unable to walk; her speech was impeded and her memory was compromised.  Redwood’s therapists recognized Marilyn’s potential, however, and creatively worked with her to develop the tools and skills she needed to get back to work.  One of the most useful pieces of assistive technology was… a pencil!

“They used a pencil to empower mom,” explains Kim.  While Marilyn cannot use her fingers to type, she can grasp the pencil and use it to strike each key.  Despite her difficulty with speaking clearly, Marilyn is now empowered to communicate effectively, lovingly, and beautifully through the cards, invitations, and calendars she creates for others.

“Redwood made it possible for me to work again,” explains Marilyn, “because they taught me how to do new things.  I could get paid for my work, but I don’t accept any money.  I enjoy making people happy and people love what I do in Redwood’s computer room.”  It’s true!  Through the Computer Life Skills program, Mrs. Hallmark, as she is affectionately known, helps brighten the days of others with her greeting cards and other printed materials while filling her own life with accomplishment and satisfaction.  Marilyn also has a sense of belonging:  Instead of staying in a nursing home all day, she receives community interaction, meaningful experiences, and socialization any of us would want.

This story was Marilyn's own personal "miracle."