Angela Brown

Dear Ben Mikaelsen,

Your book Petey really changed the way I thought about people with Cerebral Palsy.

At first I thought that people who have Cerebral Palsy were people who stayed in a hospital bed and couldn't do anything on their own. But after reading Petey, my perspective was totally different. Now I think people who have Cerebral Palsy or any disability for that matter are unique. From a person with Cerebral Palsy you can see that a person has a different look, or a different way at looking at things. You can see that they are happy and that was what Petey was. Petey had friends, Petey could communicate, like people who don't have a disability. Petey was just a person with a disability.

Before I read your book I was scared or nervous when I saw a person with a mental illness. But now I am willing to be the person who would not judge that person because of something a person cannot help or control. I also realized that different was actually better. Even if someone has a mental illness does not mean they have to act a certain way, their brains just work differently. A group of people who can all do the same things don't really learn anything new about life, but a group of people who can do things differently, you can learn so much.

I really learned that people with a mental illness can be happy.

Sincerely,
Angela Brown