My Sister's Diary

My Sister's Diary is a hearttouching story of a very strong, passionate woman who endured the hardships of cerebral palsy for seventy-nine years. After Carolyn's death, Carolyn's sister, Nancy, read and gleaned amazing facts and feelings from Carolyn's diaries of sixty-five years. Life started with a premature birth. School days were difficult, but Carolyn persisted in a school for the handicapped. After graduation from high school, Carolyn worked at the Sheltered Workshop in Binghamton. A later decline in her condition triggered her family to pursue a patterning program through the Institute for Human Potential. Carolyn's improvement was remarkable. After her father's death, Carolyn and her mother moved to Arizona to be close to family. Life was good for them until declining health took the life of her mother. After this, life for Carolyn was most difficult in Medicaid-assisted living facilities. She endured care that bordered on verbal and physical abuse. Three male aids cared deeply for Carolyn and gave her a reason to live. Carolyn felt like many abuse victims do-that she was guilty of causing the poor care. A move resulted in somewhat better care until her death in 2008.