Inspiring People/Stories

CC99

I appreciate Cuddle Comfort and the good folks on here - I feel like I initially came for the cuddles, but stayed for the positivity, lol.

Is there a person or story that inspires you? I recently learned about Jessica Cox, who was born without arms but decided she wanted to be a pilot:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Cox

After I got over the initial ‘WTF?’ about her story, it really inspired me how people can overcome their circumstances. We all have our different challenges but it helps to see someone strive and achieve despite them.

Please share people or stories you have been inspired by.

SunsetSnuggles

Aron Ralston was the first person who sprang to mind as I began reading your post, before even getting to your example (ironically). I read his book years and years before the movie came out. He cut off his own forearm to escape being trapped by a boulder in a very remote location. I was amazed and inspired by his story, when I was young.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aron_Ralston

~ Sunset Snuggles

CuddleDuncan

When I was about 11 I had to have 9 stitches in my right buttock due to an unexpected encounter with some broken glass. 4 of the stitches were with local anaesthetic and 5 without. In retrospect the doctor was drunk, and the scar is clear to this day. I didn't make a sound.

I was inspired by the biography of a fellow called Douglas Bader, which at the time I had read recently. He had undergone a similar experience at a similar age, and I took the view that if he could receive stitches in silence, so could I.

Later in life Bader was on the point of being picked to play rugby for England when he lost his legs in a plane crash that was entirely his own fault. He went on to become a fighter ace in the Second World War, with 22 victories. He was shot down and captured, escaped twice, but was recaptured and landed up in the famous Colditz Castle POW camp. There, he planned to escape again by climbing over the rooftops which is tricky enough if you have legs. That escape bid never happened, which is probably just as well.

The real reason somebody wrote a biography about him wasn't really any of that though, it was his character. He was a remarkable character. He was once flying across the Channel to France, leading his wing of Spitfires, when he got on the radio to base and asked the fighter controller to pick up the telephone and cancel his squash game that afternoon, which he'd forgotten to do before taking off. The controller protested, but in the end Bader talked him into it. A frightened young pilot, flying with Bader that day and who went on to become Britain's top scoring ace, later wrote in his biography about how much that exchange inspired him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Bader

DaringSprinter

Oh goodie, inspiration porn! My favorite.

Somebody tell another story about someone with obvious disadvantages (on account of not being like Normal Folks™) who overcame by somehow managing to do something a lot of Normal Folks can; or even better, tell one about how amazing it is for someone to choose disability over actual literal death.

Let's all enjoy the struggles of people whose lives and struggles are totally our business and absolutely exist just to make us feel inspired!

I love this subject. There's nothing that pleases me more than knowing that people like me are the natural porn stars of inspiration for Normal Folks everywhere. Just fills me with joy.

Say, anybody have any stories about inspirational people who aren't disabled?

DaringSprinter

I'll start: my paternal grandfather liked to garden. He never had much chance to through most of his life: but in his seventies he had the biggest garden any man could ever want, and grew some of the tastiest onions, potatoes, corn, strawberries, etc., that I ever tasted.

He held onto that dream a long time—long enough to make it come true.

22cuddle

Racer Alex Zanardi. His life story is incredible.

SunsetSnuggles

@DaringSprinter What inspired me wasn't that he chose to cut off his arm, but that he was able to do it. He chose freedom, not disability, and was able to power through the pain. Years later, I also chose freedom, and powered through the emotional pain of cutting off my proverbial arm in a trap, when I was finally capable of choosing to leave my family situation, even if it meant living in my car instead of staying where I was for one more day.

I'm not often inspired by people. I read Aron's book as a teenager and felt inspired. He's the only one who ever comes to mind. Apart from him, my childhood and teenage hero was John Wayne. No disabilities, there. Just a lot of badass shooting and horsemanship. Not exactly inspiring, but if you want to know the true hero of my younger years, that would be The Duke.

I'm quite positive that no one meant to offend anyone by sharing who inspires them, but I am happy to reflect on why it was offensive to you, and hope to avoid such a thing, in the future.

~ Sunset Snuggles

DaringSprinter

@SunsetSnuggles (and whoever else wants to improve): I'm out of spoons, but this video might help explain.

@DaringSprinter Thank you for the education. I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

CuddleDuncan

Thank you for the reminder, @DaringSprinter. My guy wasn't a prosthetic user at the relevant time, but I've rewritten my post to make that clearer.

@SunsetSnuggles are you familiar with Touching the Void by Joe Simpson?

CC99

@DaringSprinter

It definitely wasn’t my intention to differentiate between those with disabilities and others - but rather I appreciated this person’s ability to ‘think outside the box’ per se.

However, I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective and it’s helped me understand points I wasn’t aware of.

I don’t have any problem with removing this post if it is offensive to people with disabilities.

SunsetSnuggles

@DaringSprinter I watched the video. Definitely good food for thought. Personally I haven't seen those memes, but I understand well the concept of using one thing to make another thing seem easier or better, and thereby making the first thing seem bad.

When my mom had her stroke and began her recovery, people kept saying things to her like, "Thank God you can walk!", and "At least you didn't lose your speech!", and "It could have been so much worse!" It infuriated me, because I kept thinking, "What if she has another stroke? What if it takes away her mobility, her speech, or anything else?" People were trying to encourage her, but by using the alternative as a glaring example of why her life was still worth living, it implied that those who weren't dealing with mild symptoms maybe didn't have lives worth living. It's a horrible implication to make, though I believe people do so unwittingly.

Back to your video, and Aron Ralston...he didn't inspire my teenage self because he did something "normal". He inspired me because he cut off his own arm, something extremely abnormal and painful. I never looked at his story and thought my life was better than his, because he was "disabled" afterwards. In fact, my interest in his story is solely for the violent action he took, not for how his body was or what he achieved, after the fact. He wasn't exceptional for having one arm, later...he was exceptional for being able to snap his own nerves.

About "normal"...there is no normal. People are inspired by others who achieve things that are difficult for them to achieve. I don't think we need to "improve" by not allowing ourselves to be inspired by people achieving hard things.

When my mom walked for the first time after her stroke, you better believe that she felt achievement, and I felt inspired. Is walking exceptional? No. Was it for her after being half-paralyzed? Absolutely. Walking was something difficult for her, but she did it. Leaving my family situation was difficult for me, but I did it, and felt tremendously achieved.

Some achievements are easier to see than others, and what is easy for some is difficult for others. I don't think there's anything wrong with celebrating all of our achievements, be they physical or mental. Sometimes getting out of bed in the morning is difficult for me due to depression, and difficult for you because of Covid. We should both be proud, because we did something hard, regardless of the reason it was hard for each of us. We should both be proud, whether anyone can see or understand why it was hard for us.

I still have plenty to learn, but hopefully it makes sense where I'm coming from at this point in my understanding.

~ Sunset Snuggles

Mike403

I'm confused how this post can be offensive. This isn't making fun of people with disabilities. It's about proving that if you are disabled, you can still accomplish anything you want which is a positive thing.

blisscuddles

Life in itself is a challenge. When we see and learn about others that go beyond what life throws at them, regardless of whether it is disability or anything else, that is a great source of inspiration it helps inspire us to do something different or learn on ways to maybe make a difference in what we are going through.
The inspirational stories are inspirational !

Mike403

I have high-function autism spectrum disorder(formally known as Asperger's Syndrome) and my therapist told me that Albert Einstein also had it. That gave me inspiration to move forward and not think of myself as just a parasite.

achetocuddle

@Mike403 Good grief you are definitely not a parasite. You are a human being and you write so well and have so much worthwhile stuff to say:)

CharlieBear

@DaringSprinter I do not feel very inspired after reading your condescending comment. I am also very confused why you are associating disabled people with porn stars. Yes I know it’s just a saying, but I don’t get it.

TheFunCartel

@DaringSprinter Thank you for bringing attention to the stigmatized disabled.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/kb4vqm/legendary-amputee-porn-star-on-her-life-in-70s-fetish-film

CharlieBear

@FunCartel 😂 I will try to refrain from being inspired

Mike403

People with any type of brain abnormalities are stigmatized way more than somebody with a missing limb that you can see.

TheFunCartel

People with any type of brain abnormalities are stigmatized way more than somebody with a missing limb that you can see.

Did you establish that as fact by a show of hands?

Mike403

@FunCartel - How many people get called crazy or weird because they're missing an arm? People with mental disorders get called that all the time.

TheFunCartel

@Mike403 It was a joke. Read my comment and think about it.

Mike403

Okay. I dont pick up on sarcasm very well.

TheFunCartel

Well if you are missing hands you can’t vote by a show of hands. I wouldn’t even say it’s sarcasm. Actually it is factual.

But I would say it is unseemly to “rank” disabilities unless you have been in their position. I think there are inherent challenges for physical disabilities as well that you may not think of. Even people without disabilities get called weird and crazy. Everyone has a story and by saying you have it worse is not necessarily true. A disability is a disability and it can be an obstacle and a strength for a person. No need to establish a hierarchy of disabilities.

b0nfire

@CuddleDuncan Touching the Void is one of the wildest documentaries I’ve ever seen! Looking forward to reading the book this summer. Talk about a story of perseverance!

DaringSprinter

@SunsetSnuggles: I lacked the mental and physical energy to respond earlier, but Zwei pointed out that not everyone approaches the story of Aron Ralston the way my parents did. You make good points! I had never seen it presented in any light other than "how amazing that he wouldn't rather have died." I like the way you see it much better.

---

@Charlie_Bear: We call it "inspiration porn" when people look at our disabled bodies to feel good because... well. I'm sure you can figure it out.

Edited to add more in-text links.

SunsetSnuggles

@DaringSprinter tight hugs Elated to hear you say that. And no, that thought never crossed my mind.

~ Sunset Snuggles

CharlieBear

@DaringSprinter Ah I see, I didn’t know that was a thing, or I suppose rather that was the term for it. Thank you.