What followed was a busy week of assessments of 21 children and adults with CP and related musculoskeletal issues and intensive training for CpCenter staff. So, on Tuesday the 2 nd of July, Krista, Robby and Carolien landed in Lagos, Nigeria. After a long deliberation between her and her team, they offered to come for a working holiday! To volunteer their time and expertise!! At little or no cost to CpCenter!!! Too good to be true!!! But it was true!!!! In her compassion, she understood that money is a big issue for me as almost all the children come from disadvantaged homes. She knew that there is a need for her and her team to “feel” the children for better assessment and thus recommend appropriate exercises. Krista, the ABR Belgium director, kind as ever, understood that my children need ABR therapy.
So, how was I going to find money for assessment and training for about 18 children? It is said that when there is a will, there will always be a way.
I run a center that is free which depends on the benevolence of the public for survival. I had been told how visits to countries work for the team, each parent of a child pays for the assessment and training, the parents as a group take care of the logistics and the team comes in with their expertise.
I found ABR therapy, it’s good and I couldn’t keep it to myself. I believe that when one finds something good, one should share it. The first time I dared to ask the team to come to Nigeria, I was not sure of what their reaction would be or how I was going to raise the funds that would make the visit possible. The ABR Belgium team came! Leaving us with memories that will be hard to forget. She feels incredibly lucky to get to work with the women at York every day.Sometimes it is difficult to put your feelings into words! Such as now. The writing workshop has grown in popularity over the years and women are healing themselves through their diligent writing.ĭale Griffith is a gift to her students and they are a gift to her. She believed that Wally Lamb's celebrity status might draw in more students. Dale could see that the women were hurting and she knew that writing could be a vehicle for healing. She believes that it is a calling to work with these women, and she is the one who contacted Wally Lamb and talked him into coming to York to teach the writing workshop after a rash of suicides and suicide attempts rocked the prison. The final chapter is written by Dale Griffith, who is one of the teachers at York School. This gives them a new sense of freedom, even behind bars. Much of their lives have been filled with silence and secrets, and through their writing, they finally have a chance to speak out and tell the truth. Each of the women is using her writing to build a stronger sense of self and to finally have a voice. There is also another very strong thread, and that's hope. As the reader takes in each story, common themes of abuse, abandonment, and chaos emerge in the lives of these women. The next eleven chapters are autobiographical stories from prisoners who have taken part in his workshop. There are hearts and minds around the world that need to be opened. There are things that everyone should know about prisoners and prisons. Wally hopes that this book will help people abandon their biases. However, when his publisher reads just one story, she offers to publish the book for mass distribution.
Wally is inspired by their writing and decides to use his own money to help them publish this book. He learns the personal stories of the women in prison through their writing and is struck by the difference between common misconceptions of prisoners and the real women behind bars. Wally does not want to volunteer at York at first, but after his first visit, he is continually drawn to the group. The first chapter is written by Wally Lamb, and it provides the background information for the book. The book is organized into thirteen chapters. Eventually, Wally and his students compile their best stories in this book. Acclaimed writer Wally Lamb teaches a writing workshop at York Correctional Institution and he is transformed by the experience.
Couldn't Keep It to Myself, by Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution is a series of short autobiographical stories.