"The Absolutely True Story of One Amazing Girl... You!"

Dear Readers,

I would like to share something with you that is not necessarily my own words, but I found it very moving and I got it from my grandma, nana.  Many people make fun of older people, but I don’t think that is fair because when you really think about it, they have been around longer than you have and are wiser beyond their years.  This particular card came to me at a time when I was really struggling with something, and it is like she had ESP.  

The card reads, “Once there was a girl... And she was unique and talented and interesting and amazing and unforgettable... And real.  And she knew, deep down, that if she tried something and things didn’t go as she had hoped or wanted or dreamed or planned, she could just try something different or try the exact same thing again but approach it in a new or different way.  Then, one day, her greatest hopes and dreams actually became true... And so her life was full of all these amazing and unforgettable moments and events and circumstances: incredible wins, of course, but also equally incredible- and worth it- losses.  Because no matter what happened, she learned from everything around her and everything she went through.  Yes, she fell sometimes (like everybody else does), but she got up and moved forward by always being true to herself... And maybe one day she will even make a path for others to follow... Until they can make their own paths, too.  You see, it’s not that she was never frightened or sad or even knew when she woke up each day what to do(no one does). It was simply that she believed in herself and always shined on like a star.  Just like you.  You are one amazing girl.”

It is things like that that make me appreciate the little things in life, like a card, a kiss or a hug.  My grandparents, or nana and popa as I call them, were supposed to arrive with my cousin Justin this Friday from Arizona.  But due to my grandpa’s toothache they are scheduled to arrive sometime next week.  So please keep good thoughts in mind for me that they arrive safely so that we can enjoy the wonderful summer with them.  

Just like the characters in Glee and many people graduating from high school and college, I am going through some changes once again at the apartment.  But, unlike the saying says, “I have a bad feeling about this” , I have a good feeling about this.  And, for the first time in my life, I am happy with change.  Yes, Jessica Martin is happy with change... Don’t fall over Mom!  I would like to explain why I like Glee so much.  It has taken me awhile to figure it out, but I struggled very much in high school, both academically and socially too.  And though I had a few friends, I never really had a place where people understood me and I think it is wonderful that the characters in Glee have a place where they can go where people understand them for who they are.  I wish more high schools had that as opposed to one place for the jocks, one place for the singers, one place for the dancers.    

Happy Summer.

Love,

Jessi

What is your outlet

    One of the things I am beginning to realize is that for me, three things stay the same.  Change, my love for dance and my supportive family, in no particular order.  This month has brought me a lot of hard times that I have had to overcome, but two of the things that have helped me stay strong is my supportive family and my love for dance.  Even though I wish no hard times on anyone, I am glad that they happened when they did because I had dance.  My love and my passion for dance was a way to keep my mind off of everything and was my way to soar in my own little world, even if it was only for an hour and a half.  My family and assistants were very supportive in taking me there because they knew it was my way to be free.  And the best part of all this is the month will be able to finish in a performance.  That to me, is just the icing on the cake.

    It is like saying “Jess, I know you’ve had a hard time, but you deserve to show off what you’ve been feeling and working on for so long.”  This is what I mean when I say “icing on the cake”.  So thank you to Momenta for allowing me to have this opportunity.  I have also decided to include my fourth speech from toastmasters because it is about none other than dance.   

Soar Like a Butterfly

I go into the elevator.

The minute and a half it takes to ascendfeels like an eternity 
I am so-O excited for what’s
about to happen. 

I know that after these LONG 90 seconds,

I’ll enter into my OWN little world, 

Where I can express myself however I want.

I’ve just described how I
feel when I am about to begin a
PID class. 

If you heard my Ice Breaker, you might recall that PID stands for Physically Integrated Dance. 

But I didn’t explain·     what PID is; 
·     why PID is so special to me ; 
·     Or how I feel while performing.

A thousand words can’t adequately describe a PID performance, so you’ll have to wait until Speech #8 to see a DVD of a dance I choreographed. 

As defined in the active wheelchair user’s magazine New Mobility, <“Physically integrated dance is performed by people with and
without disabilities, together on the same stage or as part of the same piece of choreography” 

PID blends contemporary, modern, & ballet dance styles together. <

PID is so special to me because ever since I was a little girl, dancing has always been in my blood. 

I would dance for hours in my room and on my family’s driveway on nice days dreaming I was a ballerina.

I was always disappointed that I couldn’t attend regular ballet classes with my friends. 

Instead I went to dance classes with other “physically challenged” children that incorporated upper body movements from ballet, jazz and modern dance. 

Even though I had a BLAST, 
I never quite found my niche 
that is until I discovered
Physically Integrated Dance. 

In my PID class, dancers with different challenges such as Down’s syndrome, Epilepsy, and mobility perform together with able-bodied dancers in choreographed routines.

When I’m in my PID class,
I don’t feel different. 

For an hour, my PID class sets
me free from my wheel chair. 

Like any performer, I still get nervous before I go on-stage.

But as soon as the music starts,
my nervousness fades 
as I relax and enjoy myself. 

When I perform PID, I feel FREE!

This is because all my worries
are taken away. 
·     I feel like my wheels are just propelling my movement; 
·     I feel like a bird set free
from its cage; 
·     I feel like a butterfly ready to open
 its wings and SOAR. 

Tonight I shared with you my love for Physically Integrated Dance.

1) First, I shared what PID is; ?
2) Second, I shared why PID is so special to me.  

3) And Third, I shared how I feel while performing. 

I hope I’ve shown you tonight how anyone can SOAR like a Butterfly in the world of Physically Integrated Dance.

And how, in the words of one of the Jackson Five’s big hits, to become a “Dancing Machine” - like me!!


    One of the reasons why I love dance so much, is you don’t have to say a word to express how you feel.  On the other hand, one of the reasons I love toastmasters so much is you can say EXACTLY how you feel.  It is a platform for me to get my feelings out even if it is in an indirect way.  And finally, I love writing and sharing with you because it is a way for me to share with the world how I feel.  I never know exactly who is going to be reading this or who is going to be touched by this, and the unexpectedness is what makes me excited to write.  So, think about what your outlets are, what makes you who you are, and what helps you get through the day.  Mine are dance, writing and preparing speeches.  For those of you who haven’t seen it, below is an article that I was interviewed in for the Des Plaines Journal that I was interviewed in last Wednesday.

www.journal-topics.com/lifestyles/article_dd0cda1c-8d90-11e1-accd-001a4bcf6878.html   

    This month, think about whatever your outlets are, whether it be the same as mine or totally different like soccer, singing or playing an instrument.  Trust me, it will help you.  So I am going to keep on dancing, keep on writing, and keep on participating in Des Plaines Toastmasters Club 1645.

Your dancer, writer, choreographer and speaker,

Jessi

Teamwork!!!!

One word that keeps popping up over and over in my head is teamwork.  For instance, whenever I lose an assistant, we have to work together as a team to figure out what the next step is.  I know from that point on, it is back to the bench and back to square one.  These times are tough, but I know I can always depend on the team for support and guidance. This will continue throughout my life.  
    Yes, it is not an “athletic team” but we work together in the same way as a traditional team would, for the better cause, to make things right for me.  Another example was on Tuesday when I had to take my second pair of wisdom teeth out.  I had to work as a team, tell the doctors briefly about cerebral palsy and my movement patterns, so they would know how to best help me. Mina (my day assistant) and I had to think outside the box because she knew I needed the x-ray done but I knew from last time it wouldn’t work in my chair.  So once again, we had to work as a team and be teachers to figure out a way I could get the x-rays done out of my wheelchair.  I ended up standing up with Mina behind me.  
    What I have learned over the years, it is all about flexibility and understanding.  I don’t get frustrated when I have to teach something to someone new; however I do get frustrated when the people I am trying to teach are not understanding of my limitations and think there is only one way to do something.  A lot of the time this is thought by doctors and professionals.  If there is one thing in the world I could teach professionals, it would be to be open minded.  Not every patient of theirs is going to fit the mold they are expecting.  So, it is all about teamwork people:

T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K!
Love, Jess

Do you see me?

For this month I have decided to include my third speech from Toastmasters and a poem I have created based on an experience I had this month.  Dr.  Dr.  I know you see this metal, but do you see ME?  I know I am small, but do you see ME? I know I might look like a complicated case, but out of this chair I am just a person like you.   Now do you see Me? I want the best for ME. I work like you work. Now do you see ME? I went to school like you did. Now do you see ME?  I have a family like you.  Now do you see Me?  I have friends like you.  Now do you see Me?  Do you see Jessica Laurel Martin?



the word of the day.


“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”



How many of you remember this phrase?



How many of you believe that words can’t hurt you?



·   If I mention the “F” word, how many of you know to what
4-letter word I’m referring?

·   If I mention the “N” word, how many of you know to what
6-letter word I’m referring?



·   If I mention the “R” word, how many of you know to what
6-letter word I’m referring?



All too often on social networks like Twitter the “R” word is too frequently used without thinking of how hurtful it might be to a reader.

--Body --

By now I hope I have piqued your curiosity as to what the “R” word is.    It is “retard”.



Forty years ago it was “politically correct” to refer to people who were intellectually or developmentally challenged as being “retarded”,
but not anymore.



Unfortunately that 6-letter “R” word is still being used.

According to the website thesocialchallenge.org, people use the “R” word more than 25,000 times daily in just tweets.



The “R” word is very degrading to individuals who live daily with an intellectual or developmental disability, and to their families.



Individuals registered on thesocialchallenge.org website can combat the “R” word by monitoring its usage in Tweets then respond with a comment to get them to stop using it.

This “confrontational” method has been effective because tweets containing the “R” word have decreased.

---- Closing ----

What can YOU do to purge the use of the “R” word?

1.     First, work at trying to eliminate the “R” word from your own vocabulary!

2.    Second, join me ; on thesocialchallenge.org website to challenge tweets containing the “R” word.

3.    Third, as Corey Smith’s song title suggests: “Be the Change and Make a Difference” ; for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities!

Finally, I’d like to reemphasize that, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, and the “R” word will ALWAYS hurt.”
Thank you for seeing me for just  me!
-Jessi 

DREAM BIG

       Just a few short years ago after a relationship went from bad to worst like every young woman I was beginning to think that the whole relationship thing wasn’t for me.  In fact I was quite comfortable being single, that was until I met Ryan. 
        I’m not writing this to tell you about our relationship but remind you that it is ok to dream.  Whether you are 9 or 92, we all should dream.  It is what makes life exciting.  I have learned that not every dream comes true but unless you try to put it out to the universe nothing will happen.  
        This is a story that I tell almost every time I work with a family.  It goes like this: Many years ago a girl named Judith Snow was having a meeting to plan for her future and knowing that she really only had the use of one finger. They said "what do you dream of becoming someday?"  She replied, "I want to become a truck driver."  Instead of her parents saying no you can’t do that they said "ok Judith what is it about being a truck driver that you think you would enjoy doing?" She said "I want to make a difference in the world.  I want to deliver goods to people.  I want to feel in charge."  
          As a result of that meeting she is now a worldwide speaker traveling around making a difference, and she is in charge of her own schedule and personal assistants.  Yes she is not literally driving a truck but she is doing what she wants to do, just in a different way. 
So the next time you really want something to happen be patient and dream BIG. You never know what will happen.

Jess

Home Sweet Home

Even though October and November was filled with amazing events including: being part of a physically integrated dance panel discussion, having a cake made by the “Cake Boss” for my birthday, seeing my favorite physically integrated dance group AXIS Dance Company, and a family a trip with my mom and Grandma also known as Chi Chi to Milwaukee. It was a very difficult time for both me and my family because we didn’t have consistent evening staff, which meant I was going to my parents just about every other day.  I felt like a person who is always traveling for business, only in my case I often didn’t know when I would be traveling until hours before.
I love my family, and my family loves me, but it was during this time that I realized the importance of consistency in my life.  Also this period of time was a great example of how quickly your life situation can change at the drop of a hat.
As 2011 comes to a close  I am grateful that I have a family that is always there for me and that I can once again live in the purple pad the way I want to.
May your home be filled with lots of warmth, joy and love this holiday season.
-Jessi

Unexpected

     This year I am thankful for something that I never thought I would be thankful for. That is my disabilities. Yes, I said my disabilities. When I was born my parents could have said "this isn't for me” but instead of that, they decided to take the challenge on and I am so greatful they did.

       If I did not have disabilities I probably would not have any idea what physically integrated dance was, let alone have the opportunity to do it, and speak about it on TV like I did this month. http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/disability_issues&id=8435701 If I didn't have disabilities, I probably wouldn't be working with students on disability and social justice issues or have the opportunity to work one on one with families to better the lives of people with disabilities. 
       By having disabilities I am able to teach people about patience and acceptance. My situation has taught me to always take my time, and that there is almost always another way to do what you want to do in life. As my friends Mike and Tim say, "Improvise, Adapt and Overcome." 


Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours.

Jessi

Ps. My little boy turned 1 on November 16th