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Story of Christy Brown

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MY LEFT FOOT by Christy Brown is a true story of a young boy who grew up to be a man in a small town along with his handicaps. The look of pity Christy saw in a child's eyes, love a affection Christy got from his mother and a friend, and the help of Dr. Collis are the major steps that influenced Christy's journey from childhood to adulthood. It seems as Christy Brown always tried to hide from the society because he received pity and sympathy for his handicap from it. But when he decided to fight against his handicap, he only received encouragement; pride, not pity.

How cruel a simple look of pity could be? According to Christy's experience, it could be the most bitter and crushing thing one can ever experience. Christy was abnormal but he never thought about that. He always seems to enjoy life with his brothers. He knew that something is wrong somewhere, but what it is, he never thought about that. Life was a jolly good show for Christy until a friend, Jenny, looked at him with pity in her eyes. That simple look took away many things from Christy's life including his peace of mind. She made Christy realize how helpless he is. Because of the love and affection Jenny gave Christy, he had forgotten himself. "I (Christy) had almost forgotten myself. I had come to believe that there is no `difference' between myself and other people, except in my mind. It was great pleasure to lose myself in such a dream-world, in such an impossible paradise. It was pure joy to blind my eyes to every unpleasant fact about myself, even for a few weeks. But - it (look of pity) made the coming back reality all the more violent and bitter." (Page 74, lines 22-29)

After that incidence, Christy tried to avoid company. He made no new friends for almost three years after that. He quitted all his activities, and in his words, he would go out hardly once a year and even then he would go only to some place out of the city where there would be no one else but his family. He hated to receive pity and yet he believed that it is the only thing he will receive from the outside world. After that `look of pity,' Christy totally boycotted the society and locked himself up in his room, painting with his left foot, listening to the music, reading books, or simply thinking about his disabilities. He shut the outside world for himself because wanted to escape the sympathy and pity.

The bitter realization of his handicap could have taken Christy's life if his mother's love and Katriona Delahunt's affection wouldn't be there. Christy tried to commit suicide after that `look of pity' by throwing himself out of the window, but when he thought about all the love and affection he had received from his family and a friend, he stopped himself. It was impossible for Christy to live with a broken heart Katriona Delahunt made it possible for him. Katriona encouraged him to write, read, and paint. She made Christy feel important by asking him about his paintings. Katriona made Christy feel that he is not a waste in this world, he too can do something for others. It was only because of Katriona that Christy reached the turning point in his life, Lourdes. It was Katriona who arranged Christy's pilgrimage to Lourdes and did all the fundraising for it. Lourdes changed Christy's life, and gave him hope. Before the pilgrimage to Lourdes, Christy used to think of himself as `God's practical joke'. But Lourdes gave him the realization that he is not the only one, there are thousands in this world who are more helpless than him. Lourdes gave Christy's spirit a belief in God. It was only because of Katriona that Christy came out from the state of despair and saw hope for the first time in his life. That was the time when he decided to fight against his handicap. He got inspiration and encouragement from his whole family.

Lourdes and Katriona Delahunt gave Christy a week hope that he will recover while Dr. Collis changed it into a surety. Dr. Collis was the one who told Christy that he could recover. Dr. Collis took Christy to London for medical examination and then signed him for daily treatment in a local clinic. And because of the treatment Christy received in that clinic, he was able to walk, talk, and act a bit normal within a few years. It was also for Dr. Collis that Christy is know in the world today as a great writer, not as a crooked boy. He had the brilliantly imaginative and sensitive mind of a writer and a poet but he was never able to take full advantage of his abilities. Dr. Collis taught him how to use his writing talent and transformed him into one of the giants of Irish literature. When Christy first tried to write his autobiography, he wrote four hundred pages of `junk'. Feeling disappointed, he called for Dr. Collis not knowing what he is doing. He knew Dr. Collis as a friendly doctor and a kind human being. But because Christy was determined to fight against his handicap, nature helped him and Dr. Collis turned out to be a famous writer. Dr. Collis helped him with his writing skills by giving Christy dozens of writing tips. It was because of Dr. Collis' inspiration that Christy was able to rewrite his life story. On the third attempt, he was successful in his task by cutting his manuscript down to two hundred pages, about half of what he first had. He also simplified his book in such a way that it can be read by anyone who knows how to read. MY LEFT FOOT is written so beautifully that every word in it seems real. The reader can feel the emotions of Christy Brown while he was dealing with his cerebral palsy. Christy thought of himself as an unsuccessful person but through out the book it seems that every time he tried, he was successful. He always hated to get pity but when he decided that he want pride, not pity, he got it.

Christy Brown's difficult life shown by his book -My Left Foot proves that Christy was always afraid of the society, he tried to hide from it because society always gave him pity and sympathy. But when Christy decided to fight against his handicap, he received encouragement. He saw only pride, no pity. A look of pity destroyed his ambitions and his life, but the love of his family and friends, especially Katriona Delahunt, and training of Dr. Collis helped him to rebuild his life, his ambitions, and his goals. Christy's life story gives his readers hope. One would only feel confident about his/her future after reading this book.

This is the story of a young man who was born in Ireland in 1932, after a difficult birth and with a severe disability that the doctors of the time were unable to name. They urged his parents to disavow him, as he was, they believed, an imbecile with a severely spastic body. Moreover, his parents then had five other children, all healthy. Christy's mother, however, refused to institutionalize him, keeping him at home and treating him as she would her other children. It would not be until years later that she would learn that Christy's affliction was severe cerebral palsy.

Imprisoned in a world all his own and seeming without means to communicate, Christy, at the age of five, made an attempt at communication that was to change his life forever. By breaking the communications barrier, Christy demonstrated that he could learn and understand. From then on, his capacity for learning was prodigious. Who would have thought that within his severely contorted and convulsed body lay a razor sharp mind and a thirst for knowledge? Certainly not the medical community, which had been so willing to consign him to institutional living. Armed with his left foot, the only part of his body over which he seemed to have some control, Christy Brown would demonstrate to the world who he really was. He was, after all, not the imbecile that the medical community had originally thought but an intelligent and sentient human being.

This is Christy Brown's triumphant and inspirational story of his battle to learn to read, write, and paint, all with the aid of his left foot. It is an inspirational story of his quest for fulfillment. His yearning to be as others are is palpable, and his struggle for acceptance beyond the borders of his home and his physical limitations are well articulated. Christy Brown gives the reader a birds-eye view of what it is like to be a person with severe cerebral palsy. First published in Great Britain in 1954, when Christy Brown was twenty-two, this book, written with his left foot, is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.

This book gives an uplifting account of Christy's battle with adversity. It is very emotional demonstrating hope and the love that everyone can use and learn something from. It is a incredible story of beating the obstacles that stand in our way. Sometimes people think that life is hard and unfair, it makes them want to give up but when you read this book you will come to realize; this is a story about a boy afflicted by cerebral palsy who's had a hard life but yet he still doesn't give up, he had to succeed and accomplish thigs with only his left foot. I would definitely recommend this book. It was written from the heart and shows the world through the eyes of a innocent person afflicted by cerebral palsy. This book is truly enlightening. After reading My Left Foot, it led me to understand more about what it is like to suffer from cerebral palsy and how hard it is for them to challenge it. Christy's life story gives readers hope about their future. I wouldn't mind reading this book over again.

The autobiograpy by Christy Brown about his life with Cerebral Palsy and the battles he went through,but not alone,was a very interesting look into the world of a person with this disability and how their views on life are different from our own.Being the only kid in the family with this disability was very hard and very frustrating for Christy, as he would often dream of what life would be like with out this dreadful disablity.But life was not always this spiral of depression for Christy he had freedom,which came from his brothers,(who believed Christy to be as normal as themselves),the times spent with his brothers was spent in a cart,which they used to push Christy around in the streets of Dublin,with this method of entertainment Christy was free of the torment of his mind and could now be normal,or at least try to be normal.But Christy still didn't feel complete or normal,Christy was unable to write a letter or even give the answer to the question two plus two,this was the emptiness that Christy had felt for so many years and what he was searching for,Christy wanted to go to school like every other kid did the only problem was the schools could not take him on because they were not made for his type. This is where his mother stepped in,believing Christy was normal and very intelligent she tryed her hardest to school Christy and get him up to the level that other children were at.It started with the assignment of writing the letter 'A' and grew to learning the alphabet and learning to read.With this home-schooling Christy felt normal which is what he wanted to feel and hadn't for such a long-time,he was again free of his mind and would eventually control his feelings of entrapment.

A truly amazing book about the troubles overcome by a boy with cerebral palsy. I would definetely recommend this to everyone!

The autobiography by Christy Brown began on June 5,1932,in theRotunda Hospital. Christy's birth was a difficult one as his mothercame very close to death during the birth,even after his birth Christy's mother was sent to recuperate for some weeks and he wasn't baptized until his mother was well enough to bring him to a church. During Christy's birth nothing seemed to go right even after his birth mother found something to be very peculiar about him,as his head would often fall backwards during his feeding time. Christy's life started off very painfully with this unknown and very disturbing disability but his mother believed him to be just as normal as her and set out to prove it. On one afternoon of a "cold,grey December day" Christy,(who was sitting next to his sisters),became very attracted to a yellow piece of chalk and wanted it desperately,the only problem was that his sisters were holding on to the "long,slender stick of vivid yellow". Becoming very agitated Christy,without thinking or knowing exactly what he was doing,grabbed the chalk from his sisters hand with his left foot,Christy,with his mother's assistance,then began to write the letter 'A'. This would prove to be Christy's first time using his left foot and writing the letter 'A',with this momentous occasion Christy could now express himself and not be trapped in his mind of torment and constant put down. Christy would not stop just there,nor would his mother,the next big challenge became the alphabet as this would open up many new worlds for Christy and may have started him on his love for writing. Christy spent many days in the front bedroom of the house trying to learn the ABC's with mother's help and soon mastered the many letters in the alphabet and became uninterested in this mundane way of learning. As Christy was growing older he began to associate with other children through the help of his brothers,as they would push him along the streets of Dublin in a rusty old go-car called 'Henry' and Christy soon forgot about his learning,Christy spent many many happy and unforgettable years in that cart which freed him from the harsh reality of himself,which he would soon come to face. Christy remembers the many times he would spill out of the cart because his friends and brothers would often go at a bend at full speed,but this did not bother Christy because he was free,he no longer had to deal with his thoughts,and I am sure that he would prefer a crash to hearing his merciless mind tear him apart. Christy was happy with this life of taking bends at full speed and crashing to the ground with his friends and brothers,but,unfortunately this would not last long enough.