It was the summer of 1991 when my parents and I took our usual vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. I always enjoyed going down to the beach in Oak Bluffs known as the Ink Well, where African Americans enjoy visiting.

AS I was strolling along enjoying the water, I saw 2 people playing a board game. Being a little nosy, I walked closer and saw a guy and a girl Playing chess.

Chess was my game. I had played since I was in eighth grade and had studied books on chess in college. I had even competed in tournaments. In my mind, I was a pretty darn good chess player.

So, back to the game I was watching on the beach. I saw the woman win the game and noticed the young man walked away in disgust because he lost. Here was my chance. I introduce myself and asked the woman her name. She was Gloria from Queens, New York.

Gloria asked me if I wanted to play a game of chess. I accepted her challenge. We began to play, but I had a hard time concentrating on the game. I kept noticing how pretty she was. It was so hard to keep track of the chess pieces and where they were supposed to move. Once, as I looked at my watch, I heard her say, “Checkmate!” The game was over, and she had bested me. 

We are usually taught in America that chess is a man’s game as women prefer cards, but Gloria was (and still is) an excellent chess player. When we returned from vacation, we met weekly to play chess together. That day on the beach, she won the game, but I won her heart, and she agreed to marry me. This was indeed the best chess game I ever lost!

I am a black man with cerebral palsy who is also a physician. Thus, over the years, people have told me I am an inspiration. They say this because they know how hard it was for me to overcome several obstacles including physical challenges and the grinding education to become a doctor.

I have spastic fingers and legs as well as difficulty speaking, dressing and walking—all due to my cerebral palsy.

But I am a doctor and in America; and doctors here are known to have poor penmanship.

So, when people see me, they say, ”Dr Pone, you are such an Inspiration. Look what you have accomplished.” Then, after viewing my penmanship (often in the next sentence), they exclaim, “Dr Pone, your handwriting is horrible! You doctors have terrible handwriting.”

So, I get blessed for overcoming cerebral palsy and becoming a doctor, but a few minutes later, I am cursed for having the same disease because it causes poor penmanship.   Most people simply don’t realize my poor penmanship is due to having spastic fingers from cerebral palsy, which is a big part of why I inspire them in the first place.  They never think to ask if my poor penmanship is due to having cerebral palsy.

*sigh* Handwriting insults are the worst.

When have you been blessed and cursed for the same action?

When I was a kid, I wore braces on both legs to help me walk. This could be tricky at times, and I would occasionally fall down.

When I was about ten years old, my parents enrolled me in a group of children my age. We regularly enjoyed social activities together such as bowling, going for ice cream,  visiting an amusement park etc.

At one of these activities, my braces tripped me up and I hit the ground. When this happened, A group of about six or seven little girls came running over screaming,  “Darrell, are you all right?”

I was fine, but I let them help me get up. Then I decided to experiment.

I developed a hypothesis:  I fall down, girls run over to help me.

The next time I was at one of our social gatherings, I saw 3 pretty girls and decided to test my idea. I Fell Down by accident (If you know what I mean), and sure enough, all the girls ran over to me again. I had officially figured out how to get girls—until my mother noticed what I was doing and spoiled the fun by telling the girls that I could get up by myself. I know my mother was right, but I sure missed having that extra attention and sympathy from those girls.

When did you use a hidden trick to obtain one of your goals? How long did the trick work? Leave a comment and share your story with me.

In today’s world of email and text messaging, we sometimes forget the power of hearing the voice of another human being at the other end of the line. Have you ever received an unexpected phone call from someone you care about? It might have seemed like an answered prayer: the voice on the other end of the line letting you know you got the job or a really great guy wants to ask you out. Or maybe the call you remember stopped you in your tracks with the news that someone you loved dearly had died.

I vividly remember a phone call When I was going through a rough period as a sophomore in med school. We were in lectures from 8 AM until 5 PM In each class, we received pounds of notes. My exam was in another five days and there would be even more notes before then. I remember wondering how in the world I was going to remember all of that material for the exam in less than a week.

In complete frustration, I picked up the phone and called home from Nashville to New York. “Mom, I don’t think I will ever become a doctor. It is too hard.” My wise mother just listened and said, “Everything will be all right.” The next day I received A PHONE CALL from my favorite Uncle since childhood, Uncle Julian. Hearing him jokingly say, “Hang in there, partner, or I will come down there and knock you out!” made all the difference in the world to me. I smiled and life was much more manageable. Yes, laughter truly is the best medicine.

When was the last time you got an uplifting phone call? Whose life could you brighten today by making a phone call of your own?
Leave a comment below and let us know about it.

I am a medical doctor who happened to be born with a few obstacles to overcome. When I was one year old, a doctor gave my parents the news that I had Cerebral Palsy. Because of this condition, my hands and legs are spastic and my speech is slurred. I’m sure you can imagine how difficult this made doing normal activities like learning to walk or playing with other children.

As a child, I was fortunate to have help and encouragement from my loving parents and a family that knew I could overcome any obstacle. my classmates and community were also supportive of me in many ways.

As I grew up, the obstacles I faced grew with me. I decided I wanted to become a doctor like my father, so there were the challenges of passing specialty boards and making it through medical school. I also knew I wanted to share my life with someone special, so I had to figure out the secret of getting a girlfriend. That can be perplexing for any man. I eventually met my amazing wife, Gloria. Together we faced even more obstacles. For instance, six months after our marriage, my wife and I became the caregivers for my Mother.

When people hear my story, they often tell me I am an Inspiration to them. I believe that is because they see what God has done for me and they recognize that He can do the same for them. Life is full of obstacles: physical, mental and emotional. They can be difficult, but I know they can be overcome with love, faith, hard work and persistence.

If you would like to know more of my story, please click here.

What and who helped you overcome your own obstacles? I’d love to hear your story. Please share in the comments here.