Jack Carroll, 14-Year-Old ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ Contestant And Comedian, Is Our New Hero

From The Huffington Post

“Dont worry, I know what you’re thinking: Harry Potter’s had a nasty quidditch accident.”
Fourteen-year-old Jack Carroll opened his audition for “Britain’s Got Talent” with this line, and the act that followed was easily one of the most memorable — and hilarious — of the popular British reality show. The young aspiring comedian has cerebral palsy and faced Simon Cowell and the other judges using a mobility aid on last week’s episode.

But the teen didn’t want his cerebral palsy to be what he called “the elephant in the room.” Instead, he used his short stand-up routine to poke fun at himself and the challenges he faces having a physical disability.

When the teen finished, he received a standing ovation from the audience and judges, and David Walliams called him a “comedy genius.” Watch Jack’s incredible performance in the video above.
“A lot of times in comedy, your weaknesses are your strengths,” he explained backstage, adding that his other strength was “bring[ing] joy to the world.”

We couldn’t agree more. Jack, you rock.

Hitesh’s Story: Turning Childhood Challenges into Motivation

Editor’s Note: Hitesh developed cerebral palsy after medical errors led to birth injuries. However, he hasn’t let his diagnosis slow him down! He approaches every challenge head-on to prove to himself and those around him that he can do anything he puts his mind to! Here is his story, in his own words.

By Hitesh Ramchandani

My Birth

On 20th January 1992 at 0144 hours I arrived on the planet called “Earth”. My mother and father were waiting for my arrival excitedly. I was their first child and unfortunately, they were not aware that their excitement was going to be changed into their biggest nightmare. The doctor made some mistakes during the delivery and as a result, I was born with cerebral palsy. I was labeled as disabled. My parents were taken aback, stunned and did not know how to react. Best part was, my mom did not even know what “cerebral palsy” was.

My Parents

My parents were strong and positive people. They knew deep down that God had given them such a child for a reason. They always treated me as a normal person. My father and mother had this strong belief that I would recover, never did they give up on me. The two of them always encouraged and motivated me to give my best in what ever I did. Doctors and teachers recommended to them to put me in a special school but they fought against it and made life for me as normal as any other child. They did not let the doctors’ opinion become their belief. They showered me with love. They spent a lot of time and money on my treatment. Due to that, I reached such a high level that whenever I looked down, I could not even measure how many levels and obstacles I have climbed! I love my parents – it  is such a blessing to have them.  My mom is the greatest woman – she used to take hours each day to make me drink a bottle of milk because she had to take caution that I did not choke due to my weak lungs.

My Childhood

Due to my problem, I had a tough childhood. People always made fun of me, imitated me. Some kids even thought I was an alien. This was due to the fact that during that time, the problem was bad. I could not even stand straight. My walking was like a drunken man walking. I had to use support; otherwise, I would lose balance. My speech was like an alien’s and people could not comprehend what I was saying. My muscles were extremely tight and tensed, especially muscles on my left, and I could not co-ordinate them. When people used to discourage me and make fun of the way I am, as a kid I would go home and cry. I still remember when I was 5 – I went to the park and no kid wanted to play with me because they thought I had a virus and if they touched me, they would be infected too! It makes me laugh when I remember that but during that moment I was so upset that I could not stop crying.  I thought God hated me and He was taking revenge – I was filled with anger and grief. Despite all the negativities, in my heart I always knew I was the best and I lived with a positive attitude. I knew that if I let the world break me, I would be finished before even beginning the race of life.
The positive things in my childhood were I had made amazing friends like Rahul Prem and Shiv Tulsiani. They are both my best buddies till today! They always encouraged me and lifted me up whenever I fell. I am also very lucky to have fantastic cousins like Vicky Vaswani and Karan Ramchandani; they are both like my elder brothers, backing me up whenever I need them. The best thing in my childhood was Natasha Ramchandani – the sweet little angel who entered my family when I was four. My mother gave birth to her on 1st June 1996. The first time I learnt how to walk was when Natasha was two and I was six – she started walking and I was surprised.  If she could walk, then why couldn’t I? Thus, I used that as a challenge and finally, I started walking.

Haig Boys’ Primary School

I entered Haig Boys’ Primary School at the age of 7. Every child is excited about the 1st day of school, but for me, it was the other way round. I was afraid that others would make fun of me and judge me. I was worried if I could cope with the schoolwork or not. I did not know if anyone would be my friend.
My classroom was on the 3rd floor and everybody used the stairs up to class but due to my disability, the school gave me the privilege to use a wheel-chair and a pass to use the lift. I was tempted to use those privileges, but I knew if I took advantage of them, I would never improve and remain where I was. Eventually, I decided to ditch the wheelchair and the lift pass and started to make my way up the stairs, just like everyone else – I did not need any “special” treatments.  The first time when everyone saw me climb up the stairs, despite the difficulty I faced each step, I became the school’s little hero. My principal was honoured to have me in the school and he believed I could be a symbol of inspiration to all the students. Despite my limitations, I always tried my best in my studies too and received passing marks most of the time, with some ‘A’ grades even.
There were times I failed, but my parents taught me that every failure is just another step closer to success. Most people fear failure but the most important thing they fail to understand is that failure brings one closer to success. Instead of regretting and lamenting on your mistakes and failure, learn from them and move on in life.
For example, if you have a gun in your hand and a bottle across from you, and your task is to shoot the bottle down, you just need to follow the steps.  Step one: you get ready, Step 2: you aim, Step 3: fire. If you miss, you won’t be crying right? You must repeat the three steps again and again until you get the bottle down. In fact, failing will just show you how inaccurate your aim was and the actions you need to take to make your next aim more accurate. So why can’t we apply the same concept in life?

Learning to Ride My Bicycle

My classmates would go cycling at the beach and I would be left out because I could not ride a bicycle. Thus, it became my motive to learn how to ride a bicycle. An average kid takes about 1-2 weeks to learn how to ride a cycle. It took me 3 months because of my condition – 91 days to be exact.
I used to practice cycling under my condominium everyday after school. Each day, I would come home with bruises on different parts of my body but still but I never gave up.  I was persistent.  I had to conquer this task!  One day I was practicing near the pool-side. I was so embarrassed that day because I ended up in the pool with my bike and so many people watching. I went home disappointed. I told myself, “never mind I will try harder tomorrow”. I was determined to learn this skill, despite the embarrassing failures that I encountered. On the 91st day, my body finally learned how to balance and I was riding a bicycle – IT  WAS BEAUTIFUL! The feeling was as good as flying.  I will never forget that day!
The moral is, don’t ever lose hope and give up. If I had given up on the 90th day, then I would have never seen the 91st day. Keep going and going, till you make it.

About the Author

Hitesh Ramchandani is now 20 years old and is pursuing his diploma in management studies at the Singapore Institute of Management. He is also taking a Neuro-linguistic programming course outside of school and is  a member of the Toast Master Club Singapore. His desire is to motivate everyone out there to never give up and to fight to the end. Most importantly, he wants to tell others, “don’t ever be discouraged by your problems because the bigger your problem, the bigger your destiny.”

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Student with Cerebral Palsy Achieves Academic Excellence

November 6, 2012
By Lissette Argenal

Design major Tony Dang’s smile reflects the resilience of the human spirit.

“My family is my strength,” Dang said through the augmentative communication device attached on his wheelchair.

At 3 months old, Dang underwent surgery and although the surgery was successful, it left him with many complications and limitations. Dang was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

Despite the fact Dang has been disabled his whole life, not being able to walk or talk and having to overcome the boundaries of a wheelchair, his determination has been evident throughout his life.

“Tony is special to us and our family. He’s a very smart boy,” Dang’s mother Debbie Chau said.

Since the third grade, Dang formed part of the city of Berkeley Bay Cruisers power soccer team program until 2007.
He has won many championships throughout his years of participation, and even obtained third place in 2007 in the state of Indiana.

Dang graduated from Richmond High School and obtained a 4.0 GPA last spring semester at Contra Costa College.

Art department Chairperson John Diestler said that Dang sees the world as a great place, one in which he wants to be involved.

“He has a joy of learning because he has a joy of living,” Diestler said. “Tony might have some limitations, but don’t we all. The difference is Tony knows his limitations and works around (them).”

Dang said that Diestler is nice for believing in him.

Dang’s kind and gentle presence is felt by everyone who knows him. Longtime friend of Dang and his sister Jenny, Brandy Khamsouvong, said a person cannot help but feel joy when he or she is around him.

“He is like a brother to me. He is very close to his sister Jenny. He is a smart, outgoing person. He is active and likes to smile. Every time I see him he smiles,” Khamsouvong said.

Chau said she is proud of the young man her son has become.

She has made sure that throughout his life he does not feel any different from anyone else and most importantly experiences his true potential in life.

Chau made sure Dang attended preschool, kindergarten, elementary, junior high school and high school in the public school system.

“Because he is smart, he understands, and when we, my husband and I, get old in the future he will be able to take care of himself and be independent. I know he can do it because he is very smart. That’s why I try to do everything I can possibly do for him,” Chau said.

Dang shared his dream of one day being able to become independent and write music.

“I want to be rich and independent. I want to work hard and create beats,” Dang said.

Dang has written a song titled “Freestyle” and said he hopes people don’t underestimate people who appear different than them.

“Don’t think disabled people aren’t smart, because they are very smart,” he said.

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Bonner Paddock Sets World Record; Completes Ironman World Champs With Cerebral Palsy

October 31, 2012By Theresa Manahan

BONNER PADDOCK once again is making the most of an NHL lockout. During the ’04-05 lockout, Paddock, while employed by the Ducks, was urged by Owners HENRY and SUSAN SAMUELI to explore more about his cerebral palsy. Paddock became involved in United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County and decided to become the first person with CP to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. This time around, Paddock wanted to be the first person with CP to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. He finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run with a most unusual yet inspiring dance as he crossed the finish line. Paddock, 37, now serves as Senior VP/Marketing & Partnership Activation for Young’s Market Company. Below he discusses his heroic effort, which thus far has raised almost $1M.

Q: First things first, what was your first meal after nearly 17 hours of exercise?
Paddock: The first thing that actually went into my body was two IV bags because I was taken to the medical tent right after I crossed the finish line. I’m not sure where the dancing moves came from when I crossed the finish line because miles before the finish I wasn’t doing well at all. Then, I don’t know, when you get so close you muster it up and go. When I hugged my coach GREG WELCH, I just felt my legs and everything else just start going. They had to unfortunately help me to the medical tent and I was there for almost two hours afterward. So the first thing I got to eat per se was two beautifully-made IV bags for me (laughs). … But my first real meal was a cheeseburger. I was craving a cheeseburger and fries.

Q: The Ironman has a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race and you came in 21 minutes before deadline. Did you have a plan for the race? How did it pan out?
Paddock: It was close. I had done the half Ironman earlier and a bunch of other smaller races, sprints and Olympic distance triathlons so we really had a good gauge on what my paces are no matter what the weather is plus or minus wind. I sent race maps out to everybody that was coming out and I told them roughly what times to be at each of the areas, like 10- or 20-minute gaps. I hit every one of those almost dead on. It was great because I think in order for this crazy endeavor to actually work we had to have a perfect game plan, a perfect race. We knew we were going to be 11:30 to midnight. 11:30 was best-case scenario and midnight or somewhere after was going to be the worst-case scenario. I nailed the bike. I told people eight hours and I did it in eight hours, two seconds. I told them that I’d do the swim between 1:20 and 1:30; I did it just short of 1:25. We trained for almost two years for this thing and my coach is a legend and arguably the greatest male triathlete, one of the best male triathletes to walk this earth. We felt like we had a great game plan, but it had to be.

Q: What was the hardest part of the race for you? Which leg (swim, bike, run)?
Paddock: With my cerebral palsy, since it primarily affects the lower half of my body — it’s spastic diplegia — that means my legs and lower back are very tight. … The bike basically is the worst for me because it’s almost 99% lower body. I’m just stuck on that seat and just pedaling those little legs. The bike for sure is the hardest for me, then the run. The swim is by far the best and I actually really enjoy swimming.

Q: You are sponsored by Oakley. Did you have any pre- or postrace obligations or appearances?
Paddock: Oakley has just been a supporter of my endeavors. They always provide product. They outfitted our expedition team in 2008 when we climbed Kilimanjaro to break that world record for a person with cerebral palsy. It’s a company based in Orange County where I grew up and where I currently live. They’ve been a huge supporter of the foundation. They have always given me everything that I need in terms of eyewear and stuff like that. Greg Welch works for Oakley so my coach works there. My contact went over and talked to him to say, “Hey this guy is interested in doing an Ironman, do you mind chatting with him?” And that’s how the whole thing came together.
Q: Can you describe the moment you crossed the line?
Paddock: It was a whole lot of emotion going on there. Like my dance — I don’t know what that was, really. It was arguably the worst dance I have ever seen in my entire life. I don’t even remember much of it. It was just sheer elation and emotion and happiness. I wish I could say I thought of everything, except that I just kept saying in my head “We did it, we did it, we did it. Hell yeah, we did it!”

Q: What’s the blue cowboy hat worn by your supporters about?
Paddock: I have to give credit to one of the guys that climbed Killi with me, his name is JAYSON DILWORTH. He said he was coming out to Hawaii to support me and asked if we get team shirts. Every team out here has team shirts. So he said, “We got to do something different then. We’re OM Foundation, we’re going after a world record here.” So I told him to shoot me some ideas. And he’s from Texas. One day a link comes over with these huge 20-, 25-gallon hats. Monstrous foam cowboy hats. We just put the Go Bonner on each side of it with the foundation website and logo on the front. Everybody loved those things. People were asking to donate $50 to the foundation if we gave them our hats. Other people said they would make a donation if you cheer for my brother that’s coming by here shortly. They ended up calling it the “Blue Hat Army” ‘cause the NBC camera crews said it was the largest contingent by far. I just bought them out of my own pocket. I just wanted to give a few nice gifts for the people, because I knew we had over a 100 people come out.

Q: How is your body taking it? Any injuries during the race? After?
Paddock: I did have a bunch of little knick-knack injuries along the way. I had the standard issues: I had wet feet. I put so much ice down my shirt and my pants to cool the core because I heat up so fast because my body is already tight and overworking. So we try to keep the body as cool as possible, the core and all of my hip flexors and quads that really heat up, and that’s when they start cramping and spasming with my CP. At every aid station we dumped a ton of ice water on me, so my feet were soaking wet for 17 hours through my shoes. The bottom of my feet look like a cheese grater were taken to them. But they are not pusing and bleeding now, which is good.

Q: NBC Sports will broadcast the 2012 Ironman World Championships this Saturday at 4:00pm ET. Do you have plans for a watch party?
Paddock: The NBC camera crews spent almost 30 minutes with me as I was riding on the bike and then three times when I was out doing the marathon course. You just keep your fingers crossed and hope you don’t end up on the cutting room floor. It would be great exposure for the foundation, that’s what I’m really hopeful for. I do these things to try to help raise the awareness and share the story. The watch party will be calmly at my house. It’s just going to be my closest friends that are in town. My contact from Oakley, he and his wife are going to come.

Q: What’s your next adventure? You said before Mt. Everest wasn’t an option. Is that still the case?
Paddock: I think that the body is pretty banged up and we’ve put the best duct tape job we’ve ever done on a body up basically to get it to the start line. I’m not getting any younger; I’m not a spring chicken. I do feel for at least a good long while – I would never say never, but I pretty much am convinced that it’s going to be never — that I just am good. Someone came up to me and said, “I wonder what the number of people that have climbed Kilimanjaro and done Ironman Kona? It’s probably the smallest number we could even remotely think of is how many people have even done both. And to throw it in just for you to be a show-off — you have cerebral palsy. It’s incredible. I don’t know where you go from there.” And I said, “You know what? I don’t know if I go anywhere from there.” I think I’m content with using my time for the foundation. Not for training for something like that but continuing to get the message out.

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Student Finds Inspiration In Runner With Cerebral Palsy

October 22, 2012
By Arian Smedley

For Colt Yinger, a 13-year-old at Nelsonville-York Middle School, sports are second nature. He’s in his first year of cross country, plays football and performs in wrestling competitions around the country. He’s the type of kid who goes running with his dad even after a grueling football practice.

When he met Lucas Norman, a fellow 13-year-old cross country runner who suffers from a mild form of cerebral palsy, Yinger saw another example of dedication and hard work.

Cerebral palsy refers to a number of neurological disorders that affect body movement and muscle coordination, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes.

“Seeing he has more trouble than everybody else race and with him having his problems really upset me,” Yinger said. “As I was watching him race every race to the best of his ability, giving it all he has, that inspired me. It inspired me to do what I did.”

Their last meet, the Tri-Valley Conference, was held on Oct. 13 at Wellston Middle School — Norman’s home school. When Yinger completed his race — placing sixth overall — he ran back to Norman and ran alongside him for the remainder of the course, encouraging him and cheering him on. That kind of gesture is appreciated even within one’s own team or in practice, but with an opponent and in competition, it stands out even more so.

This wasn’t the first time Yinger offered the support. When Norman tripped and lost his shoe in an earlier meet, Yinger picked up his glasses and helped him up, urging him to continue.

“I thought that was pretty nice of him,” Norman said Friday. “My mom said most people wouldn’t do that anymore.”

But that wasn’t enough for Yinger. After receiving his medal at the conference, he decided to give it to Norman to keep.

“This young man represented his school, Nelsonville-York, in such a positive way,” wrote Shelley Norman, Lucas’s mom, on the website www.trivalleyconference.com.

“I didn’t know what to think about it; he was really nice for doing it,” Norman said.

“For someone as a seventh grader to be that altruistic and think about other people makes me the most proud of him,” said Assistant Coach Noah Watkins, who was the acting head coach on the day of the last meet.

“(Colt) has been blessed with a lot of athleticism,” Watkins continued. “For him to see someone who wasn’t given everything that he was given athletically, he sees that as inspiration to see someone fight through a disability and overcome the odds. Plus, he’s found a friend out of it.”

Of the support he gets from Yinger and others, Norman said it can go both ways.

“It can get loud, and sometimes that makes me nervous, but sometimes when they’re cheering you on, you’ll just go faster,” he said.

When told Yinger is inspired by him, Norman said, “I think it’s really cool that he thinks of me like that.”

“I didn’t expect any attention to come to this,” Yinger said. “This is just something I just knew that I had to do, and I felt it was right to do.”

Shelley Norman wrote that she has found hope for the next generation.

“He is a true role model, and I will be forever grateful for the confidence he instilled in my son with one random act of kindness. … I am so proud of them both,” she continued.

Norman, whose participation this year was the first time he’d ever joined a sport, said he plans to run again next year. He’s also planning to wrestle and run track.

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Inspiring Kindergartners With Cerebral Palsy Compete In Race

October 12, 2012
By Todd Civin 

As I begin to get up in years, having just crossed the half a century mark, it brings me immeasurable joy each time I witness the next generation begin to play a positive role in shaping our future.

As a close friend and fan of famed father and son triathletes, Dick and Rick Hoyt, I often wonder if there is an inspirational team waiting in the wings to carry forth the message of inclusion, acceptance and disability awareness that Team Hoyt has etched into our society over the past three decades.

Despite the fact that Rick Hoyt was born as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, he has been pushed, pedaled and paddled to the finish of nearly 1,100 athletic competitions by his father, Dick, to the amazement and pleasure of fans around the globe.

So it literally sent shivers up my aging spine when I learned of the inception of a young running team that has been affectionately referred to as, “The Protégés.”

Unlike the Hoyts, who are now age 72 and 50 respectively, the Protégés barely register on a calendar, at age six and five. That’s right.  The heirs to the inspirational throne are barely old enough to attend grammar school and yet are lacing them up for a mile run together this November 10 in Norfolk, VA.

Like the Hoyts, the Protégés race with one teammate acting as the pusher and the other covering the miles in a wheelchair, taking in the sights and sounds of the adoring crowd, yet every bit as much the athlete from the starting gun to the finish line.

Jayden Nogueras, age six, attends the Peebles Elementary School in Bourne, MA, and despite the fact that he was born with Chromosome Disorder of 1p36 Duplication, Cerebral Palsy and Septo-Optic Dysplasia, he will be serving as the pusher. His five-year-old best friend and racing partner, Elson Martinez, will be enjoying the ride from his specially designed running chair.

Elson was a preemie born at 32 weeks in April of 2007. He was 14 inches long and weighed 2 lbs 15 oz. at birth. Elson spent the first six months of his life in neo-natal intensive care before being transferred to the step down unit where he stayed until December 24, 2007.

He spent Christmas at home, but after only two weeks was readmitted until June 2008. Elson endured 13 surgeries in his first year of life. He had to have half of his intestines removed because they did not form correctly, causing blockage.

Elson had a VP shunt and a VA shunt placed due to his Aqueductal Stenosis not properly forming. He has had several revisions to the shunts. Elson has been diagnosed with Hydrocephalus, Absence of Corpus Calosum, Seizure Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, and Developmental Delay. He currently attends kindergarten at Pembroke Elementary.

“Jayden stated last school year, he wants to be a ‘Team Hoyt pusher’ shared his mother, Mary-Liz, who together with her husband, Jose, recently founded my Team Triumph Cape Cod (mTT-CC), a running team comprised of Captains (riders) and Angels (pushers).

Jayden was the inspiration and motivation for the formation of mTT-CC. “Then jokingly, we asked him who he was going to push because he’s so small and many of the other riders are bigger and older than him. He then responded, ‘Elson is small, too. I can push Elson.’”

Jayden, who stands all of 42 inches tall and tips the scale at a feather-like 36 pounds, began his racing career in 2010 with Team Hoyt Virginia Beach as a rider (captain). It wasn’t until May of 2011, while visiting the Hoyts at their home in Holland, MA that he vacated the chair and traversed a 50-yard dash course on his own.

At that point, Jayden became a “running junky” and began training daily to increase his speed and stamina. In July of that year he entered and completed the One-Mile Allen Stone Kid’s Run in Virginia Beach, VA.

Elson, who is confined to a wheel chair, is currently a “captain” for Team Hoyt Virginia Beach, where he is normally pushed by either his brother Ruben or friend and fellow Angel, Dena Goble.

In preparation for the Norfolk’s Freedom Warrior Trot 1 Mile Run, Jayden’s father, Jose is making some slight alterations to accommodate the diminutive racing team.

“We put smaller wheels on our running chair and we are talking to bike shops about the best way to lower the handlebars,” explains Nogueras, who serves as a Supply Petty Officer 2nd Class in the U.S. Coast Guard stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Buzzards Bay, MA.

“Jayden believes that he is now that much closer to becoming a real Team Hoyt pusher. We have to thank Team Hoyt VB’s Dennis Welch for being his initial motivator and inspiration.”

“Jayden motivates me to keep working on my running,” adds Nogueras. “I never ran or liked to run before Jayden. It’s good to see Jayden get excited about crossing the finish line and buying new running shoes.”

Jayden’s extremely proud and supportive mother, Mary-Liz, continues, “Running has played a huge role in Jayden’s self-esteem. He is also learning many life lessons such as goal setting and overcoming adversity. I think running has made him more resilient.”

To encourage and support Jayden and Elson’s run, please visit The Proteges Donation Page. All donations will help support my Team Triumph Cape Cod. Jayden and Elson have established a goal of $2000.

myTEAM TRIUMPH is an athletic ride-along program created for children, teens, adults and veterans with disabilities who would normally not be able to experience endurance events such as triathlons or road races.

For more information on Cerebral Palsy please visit:
http://www.cpfamilynetwork.org