Zest ‘Mike’s World’ one of challenges, triumphs

A mother

BY GEORGETTE BARKALA
Correspondent

Zest ‘Mike’s World’ one of challenges, triumphs A mother’s tale is meant to encourage, enlighten BY GEORGETTE BARKALA Correspondent

Zest
‘Mike’s World’ one of challenges, triumphs
A mother’s tale is
meant to encourage, enlighten
BY GEORGETTE BARKALA
Correspondent


CHRIS KELLY staff In “Mike’s World: A Life Journey,” Patricia Leary writes about her son’s struggle to overcome disabilities and live independently.CHRIS KELLY staff In “Mike’s World: A Life Journey,” Patricia Leary writes about her son’s struggle to overcome disabilities and live independently.

They are the stories every mother tells: baby’s first steps, the first day of school, festive holiday celebrations. But for Red Bank author Patricia Leary these tales are hardly ordinary.

Born with a metabolic condition that nearly took his life at 4 days old, Leary’s only child, Michael Stiedler, is severely brain injured.

In her recently self-published book, "Mike’s World, A Life Journey," Leary recounts milestones not unlike those shared by many mothers and children. The stories are the same, yet different, because they are told from the unique perspective of a mother raising a handicapped child.

Although Michael’s medical condition played a significant role in his formative years, Leary said she did not want the book to be a recounting of his medical ups-and-downs.


Mike StiedlerMike Stiedler

"I didn’t want to write a story about endless days of therapy," she said. "That would have been a medical memoir, and I wasn’t going to write that."

Instead, "Mike’s World" is a compilation of pleasant, and some not-so-pleasant childhood moments that Leary said were at times difficult to put on paper.

"I could do the happy ones, but the sad ones were really tough," she said. "Those stories I left to the end."

One story Leary found particularly difficult to write was "Spanky." It describes the special bond between Mike and his pet dog, made more poignant with the added challenge of physical limitations and the circumstances of his adoption into Mike’s world.

Spanky was the neighbors’ dog who enjoyed running and visiting with Mike but returned home each day to his family across the street.

Leary writes, "They were an odd couple indeed. Mike had no time for play and no experience with a dog. Poor vision and clumsiness made him wary of actually playing with Spanky. Spanky seemed to sense that Mike was at a disadvantage. Together they made the decision to move carefully around one another."

One evening after a visit, "Spanky refused to leave," Leary writes. "He ignored Katy’s [his owner] calling and clapping. He ignored Mike’s ‘Spanky, home.’ "

Spanky stayed for what became a series of sleepovers. Finally his owner remarked to Mike’s mom that Mike needed Spanky in ways she did not.

Although Leary said she found the book fairly easy to write, it was not a project she planned on undertaking.

The stories depicting Michael’s spirit, wit and humor are endless when speaking to Leary. It was the recounting of these stories to members of her writers’ group that prompted the publication of "Mike’s World."

"They said these were interesting stories and they should be written down," she said. "It wasn’t that hard to write them down. Most of this book is about happy stories. What I wrote most about are the little things — things that aren’t hard to remember; they’re pleasurable."

What started out as a "nice, warm, fuzzy read," said Leary, became much more.

"When I wrote it," she said, "I realized what I had was a triumph of the human spirit."

The extent of Michael’s brain injury did not become clear until he was a little over 2 years old. He was cortically blind, able to see only light, shadow and large vivid splashes of color. Michael could not walk, his fine-motor skills were virtually nonexistent, and he could barely speak.

Now 34, Michael has learned to walk, talk, see and care for himself, thanks to endless hours of therapy and Leary’s "won’t take no for an answer" attitude. More important, says Leary, her son discovered his personality along the way.

"When you meet him, he touches people with his character and his spirit," Leary said.

On an annual visit to a San Francisco coffeehouse, Leary realizes Michael is somewhat of a celebrity in the chapter "Fifteen Seconds of Fame."

"Before I could say, ‘Hi, two, please,’ a huge smile transformed her face," she wrote. "The host flung his hands into the air and announced jubilantly, ‘Mike’s back.’ "

"His life has always been under my control, and here he was, a celebrity on his own," Leary said.

Leary said by sharing her experiences she hopes to support those who might be in a similar situation and enlighten others who are not.

"I’m not writing it as a guideline, but as a morale boost," she explained. "There are ways to go outside the box, to make someone’s life richer. People who have this situation in their life need a morale boost."

The 147-page, soft-cover edition of "Mike’s World" is available at www.iuniverse.com.

Above all, Leary’s message is embrace life’s struggles for there is often a lesson to be learned from them.

"My experience with him — it’s kind of a way of saying, ‘Don’t be afraid of the handicapped.’ If you read about Mike, you recognize a determined human spirit."