I Am Like You!

When I was 18 years old, I left Iran after graduating from high school to come to America to continue my education, with the hope that someday I might become a physician. I suffer from multiple disabilities. The most troubling issue revolves around polio. At the age of five, I contracted polio as a result of a bad dose of the vaccine I received. As an adult with a sever twisted body, I have been forced to walk with a cane and stand only four feet tall. Over the course of my life, I've had to deal with additional medical issues as a result of my initial infection.

It would be easy for me to be bitter about my situation, but I have chosen a different path. I've written a short memoir which I have titled I Am Like You. My hope is that my book will both inspire and encourage others with disabilities to recognize that they need not be defined or limited by whatever physical limitations they may encounter in the world. Certainly, my life has been a challenge, but I've chosen to remain optimistic about the limitless possibilities available to anyone who isn't ready to throw in the towel.

I've tried to tell my story with a mixture of humor and pathos. Additionally, I think there is a unique perspective to my story. Coming from a Third World country allows me to compare and contrast the differences between the treatment of the disabled in a country like America compared to how someone with my kinds of issues may be dealt with in Iran (or any Third World country for that matter).