I was born in 1960, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. And, when I was born, I could not breathe because the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck. As a result, the part of my brain that controls motor skills was damaged. That’s what caused my disability. I didn’t know this until I was researching my book.
 
I would like to tell you about a big day in my life: the day I graduated from high school.
 
 When I was living in a children’s home in 1980, there were high school kids that worked at the home. That spring some of them graduated from high school. When I asked them what it was like to graduate, they told me that it was one of the best days of their lives. I sometimes wondered if I would ever get to graduate. In the spring of 1981 my dream came true.

I could not believe when I woke up that morning. It was the day that I had dreamt of all of my life: the day that I was going to graduate. It was a Sunday, and I went to church in the morning. After that was done and I was on my way out, some of my friends came up to me and said that they were proud of me. As soon as I got home, I got ready. Then someone walked with me to school. It was really warm out.

When we got to school I went to the room to get my robe and cap on. After everyone was ready, we all lined up. Then we all went to the gym, went up to the stage and sat down in our seats. When I got to my seat and sat down, it hit me that this was the last time that I would be in school. I started to think about my time in school and all the fun that I had experienced,

like the dances and the football games and other games that I had gone to. I started to feel sad but I knew that it was time for me to move on.

When it was my turn, I went up and got my diploma. As they handed it to me, I saw all of the people stand up and clap for me. It was one of the happiest days of my life.