Monday, August 25, 2008

FOUR ears?

This kitty named "Yoda" has FOUR ears. Some people say they're "horns". Others say he's a "devil cat" and "Beelzebub". "If Batman had a cat, it would probably look something like this," quipped London's Daily Mail. His owners say he's perfectly normal otherwise. He doesn't really have four ears, just extra ear flaps. He has a deformity like many of us. And like many of us that have a deformity, a lot of people make fun of him, or even think him evil. I totally empathize. You see, I was born with a deformity, too. I have a cleft lip and palate. The roof of my mouth was open when I was born and my mom said it looked like an invisible thumb was pushing up my lip. My surgeons had to sew together the inside of my mouth so I could eat. As a baby, my mom had to feed me with a special bottle so I could take my formula. Additionally, a bone was taken from my rib and put into my lip and then the skin was cut and brought down and sewn back, thus I have misshapen lips and a scar. Otherwise, I think I'm pretty normal. If having five kids is normal anymore. Growing up, a lot of people treated me as if I was a freak. They made fun of me. I was embarrassed about my lip and wished I had the scar anywhere else on my body except smack dab on my face where I couldn't hide it. I even wished I was a man so that when I grew up, I could grow a mustache to hide it. Below is a picture of a baby with a cleft lip. It's not me, but this gives you an idea of what I looked like when I was born. These are only two examples of how someone can have a deformity. There are so many ways. Does this make us different inside? Does it make us different otherwise? I don't think so. So why do some people think this makes people or animals with deformities unworthy to befriend or be nice to or even evil? Both this baby and this cat are adorable. Of course the baby needs intervention in order to eat properly. It doesn't seem Yoda does. On the other hand, I also have a hearing loss which people cannot see. People only seem to believe someone has a handicap if it's visible and to give them either a break or a hard time because it's visible. Many people don't believe I have difficulty hearing because they can't see it, which is also a problem. Perhaps if I had ears that looked like Yoda's they would. You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

6 comments:

Sandra Cox said...

I love Yoda:)
I'm sorry you had such a tough time of it as a child, Ash. Children can be so cruel. Everyone has something to deal with don't they?
Hugs,

Phoenix said...

He and the baby are adorable.

In Minnesota we had three rabbits in our yard with multiple ears. The was one with three ears and two with five ears. Long floppy soft ears. We used to get so mad when neighbors would curl their lip with disgust. They aren't hurting anyone.

Loved this post, Ashley. You would think that adults grow up and behave themselves. Unfortunately that's not the case.

Brynn Paulin said...

My niece was born with a cleft lip and she's absolutely gorgeous. She's four and she's had three surgeries on it already. She'll need at least one more. The advances they've made today are absolutely amazing. By the time the doctor's are done, it will look like she never had a cleft lip at all -- but even if they never did one more thing, she's still so beautiful...

barbara huffert said...

I'm sorry other kids were mean to you. I think it's fear of differences instilled by their parents.

You know I would scoop that kitty up in a heartbeat! I've always wanted a polydactyl cat, not as easily noticable but just as different.

Unknown said...

Life is just not fair and people can be stupid. The thing is you are a great role model because you have a acheived so much after a rocky start. That's something to be proud of

Anny Cook said...

Blessings on you Ashley!

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