Does She Know She's There?

Ian W. Toal is a registered nurse in Barrie, Ontario.

This updated version of a book first published in 1978 chronicles the
life of Catherine Schaefer, who was born with cerebral palsy in 1961. It
is also the story of her mother, Nicola, and the rest of the Schaefer
family as they learned first to cope with, and then work with,
Catherine’s developmental delay.

In many respects, Catherine’s life was unremarkable, which is in
itself remarkable. Just after Catherine was born, a physician advised
Nicola to “go home, put this baby in an institution and then have
another.” The family ignored this callous advice. They kept Catherine
at home and coped largely without the intervention of health-care
“experts” (who generally proved to be less than helpful when they
actually came to the family’s aid). Nicola eventually drifted into
political action aimed at achieving decent services for other families
in the same position.

The updated part of the book deals with Catherine’s move out of the
house and into the community, where she continues to live with
assistance. Although Catherine does not speak and needs help with most
activities of daily living, it is clear that her life is rich and that
she has enriched the lives of those around her.

This is not a reference book for those seeking information about
cerebral palsy. Rather, it is a celebration of the lives of some
remarkable people; in that respect, it succeeds admirably.