Barry Switzer Biography

“Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.”
This quote by respected coach and leader Barry Switzer can apply to anyone and any hardship someone has struggled through, but I feel this best describes my experience of growing up with a sister that has severe mental and physical handicaps and the struggles and rewards this has placed into my life. My sister, Grace, has shaped my character and allowed me to develop positive attributes more than any one other single event or person in my life. Growing up, I often felt I was born at bat, in reference to Mr. Switzer’s quotation, other times I felt that I was still in the dugout or hadn't made the team. I felt that it was unfair that I had to have a sister with these disabilities and it was a tribulation or

It wasn't just socially that it seemed hard to grow up with Grace; more than once I can remember going to the hospital to see Grace on the grounds of complications from her disabilities. Eventually, I grew to be accustomed to the dynamic of having Grace in my life. I grew less embarrassed and started to truly explain to people what was “wrong” with her. Time and time again I would tell people who asked, “Her birth had many complications and she suffered a formal brain bleed causing hemiparesis on her right side of her brain, affecting nearly all physical and mental aspects of her life.” I never grew fond of the expression that something was “wrong” with my sister because to me it was normal, she was my friend, she laughed, played, became angry, and agitated just as any other person does. In my mind, that's what was “right” with her and what made her so unique and loving. Most people feel pity for me or for her when I tell them about Grace but, I feel as if I was at bat and the pitcher threw me an unworkable curve ball and I hit a grand slam in the World Series. This