MarkF
21st June 2003, 09:29
This was in the Albuquerque Journal the other day:
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Teen Doesn't Let Down Syndrome Hold Him Back
By Isabel Sanchez
Journal Staff Writer
Carson Proo has a cell phone, is learning to drive, hates math. He's a gymnast, goes to a charter school and wants to find someone who will teach him to play bluegrass on his mandolin.
Carson, 17 and on the verge of earning a black belt in karate, has already won a third-place trophy in a national karate contest. He's interested in Buddhism. He meditates in the lotus position, the one where your feet sit on your opposite knees.
He's also won trophies for his gymnastic performance in Special Olympics last year. The karate, which he's been practicing since age 7, helps him focus.
"I don't get nervous. I just do my best," he says.
Carson's father, Victor, says he stayed in a fetal position for about an hour after his son's birth. Then, he says, he was able to accept it, that Carson has Down syndrome.
The young man who practices his katas by watching videos of his karate class and who helps teach at the dojo, showing younger students how to warm up, couldn't crawl until he was 2.
"I did not know that people like Carson existed," his father says — that a special needs child could live a healthy, normal teenage life.
Carson's Special Olympics trophies are for floor exercises and work on the still rings. These and karate are activities that allow him to be part of a team, his father says.
"He's one of those kids who are just a joy and a treat to have," says Randy Sanders, head teacher and owner of New Mexico Shotokan Karate. "He works hard, no matter how difficult something is. It doesn't always come easy to him, but he doesn't ever let it get him down."
Karate, says Sanders, has given Carson a goal, "something to really work toward. The discipline, the ability to allow himself to be stubborn enough, no matter how hard something is, 'I'm going to conquer this, I'm going to be successful' — I think we've helped him with that."
"He has an ability to watch and then do," Victor Proo says of his son. Carson's learning woodworking and already makes mosaic-topped tables.
Because some concepts are difficult for him — anticipating what traffic might do, for example — Carson's probably going to have to have someone with him when he drives. But he's studying for the written test, has driven the family Jeep in a deserted parking lot and, when other kids in school are driving, he can say he knows how to drive too.
Carson's an 11th-grader at Amy Biehl High School. Co-founder Tony Monfiletto says the school hired a teaching aide to work one-on-one with Carson, who's taking regular classes on a modified curriculum.
"The benefit that he provides to his classmates is incredible," Monfiletto says. "He's such an asset to the school — kids really learn a lot, being around people different than they are. They learn compassion. His presence is felt by every kid in the school. They all know him. I think in some ways he's a greater asset to the school than the school is an asset to him."
Students at Amy Biehl last year climbed La Luz trail and worked at Channel 27, the public access channel. Carson reads to special needs kids in second and third grade at Montezuma Elementary School.
"He's great with kids," Victor Proo says.
"I love babies," Carson says. "They're all cute."
Carson lives very much in the moment, an advantage to someone studying Buddhism, which requires a "this-moment mind." Meditation, he says, gives him "mental fire." In concentration, he says, he finds the wisdom of the path.
And he loves movies. "Movies are my life," he says. Action movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan.
He likes "Charlie's Angels" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," a transcendant martial arts movie.
"That was so cool," he says. "I have it."
One of his dreams is to act in movies, using his karate skills.
A sign on his bedroom door says "Carson Taylor Proo, FBI special agent," an homage to Agent Mulder of "X-Files." Carson's still watching the reruns.
He isn't just Carson, aka an FBI agent: He's known sometimes as Chickenbreath or Monkeybutt — silly names that make him laugh, nicknames his parents gave him, knowing he would be teased at school. If he could laugh at Monkeybutt — inspired by a trip to the San Diego Zoo — he might be able to laugh off other names. His parents aren't sure if he was teased but assume he was. If so, Carson didn't complain.
Someday Carson hopes to work with animals, perhaps as a veterinarian technician.
"He can do more than stocking shelves," says his father, a respiratory care practitioner in the intensive care units at the University of New Mexico Hospital.
"He manages to garner respect in his own way."
Victor Proo built a Web site, http://homepage.mac.com/vproux50 recording Carson's activities — at the gym and karate class, of course, but also speaking at a conference held by an association for people with disabilities in Boston last year. Hundreds of people, parents and professionals, attended. Carson used 3x5-inch cards as prompts and talked about his experience as a Down syndrome teen in high school, his hobbies, his travels.
Victor Proo, the father who curled up in the fetal position when his son was born, is videotaping Carson at karate class and elsewhere to make a documentary. He wants new parents of Down syndrome children, teachers, health care workers and the public to become aware of the abilities of special needs people. And he wants Carson's story to inspire others. Because of his son's courage and humor and compassion, he says, "He is my most admired hero."
What is Down syndrome?
Each human cell normally has 46 chromosomes, 23 from each parent. Chromosomes come in pairs. If they don't separate correctly, a cell can have 24 chromosomes instead of 23 — too much genetic information.
A person with 47 chromosomes will have Down syndrome if there are three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two. If it's chromosome 13, the diagnosis is Patau syndrome; if it's chromosome 18, Edward syndrome — both are more severe and rare than Down syndrome.
Copyright 2003 Albuquerque Journal
Check out the Quicktime movie to see one of the kata he will perform for his shodan test. I'm not karateka, but his posture and balance look pretty good to me.
Mark
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Teen Doesn't Let Down Syndrome Hold Him Back
By Isabel Sanchez
Journal Staff Writer
Carson Proo has a cell phone, is learning to drive, hates math. He's a gymnast, goes to a charter school and wants to find someone who will teach him to play bluegrass on his mandolin.
Carson, 17 and on the verge of earning a black belt in karate, has already won a third-place trophy in a national karate contest. He's interested in Buddhism. He meditates in the lotus position, the one where your feet sit on your opposite knees.
He's also won trophies for his gymnastic performance in Special Olympics last year. The karate, which he's been practicing since age 7, helps him focus.
"I don't get nervous. I just do my best," he says.
Carson's father, Victor, says he stayed in a fetal position for about an hour after his son's birth. Then, he says, he was able to accept it, that Carson has Down syndrome.
The young man who practices his katas by watching videos of his karate class and who helps teach at the dojo, showing younger students how to warm up, couldn't crawl until he was 2.
"I did not know that people like Carson existed," his father says — that a special needs child could live a healthy, normal teenage life.
Carson's Special Olympics trophies are for floor exercises and work on the still rings. These and karate are activities that allow him to be part of a team, his father says.
"He's one of those kids who are just a joy and a treat to have," says Randy Sanders, head teacher and owner of New Mexico Shotokan Karate. "He works hard, no matter how difficult something is. It doesn't always come easy to him, but he doesn't ever let it get him down."
Karate, says Sanders, has given Carson a goal, "something to really work toward. The discipline, the ability to allow himself to be stubborn enough, no matter how hard something is, 'I'm going to conquer this, I'm going to be successful' — I think we've helped him with that."
"He has an ability to watch and then do," Victor Proo says of his son. Carson's learning woodworking and already makes mosaic-topped tables.
Because some concepts are difficult for him — anticipating what traffic might do, for example — Carson's probably going to have to have someone with him when he drives. But he's studying for the written test, has driven the family Jeep in a deserted parking lot and, when other kids in school are driving, he can say he knows how to drive too.
Carson's an 11th-grader at Amy Biehl High School. Co-founder Tony Monfiletto says the school hired a teaching aide to work one-on-one with Carson, who's taking regular classes on a modified curriculum.
"The benefit that he provides to his classmates is incredible," Monfiletto says. "He's such an asset to the school — kids really learn a lot, being around people different than they are. They learn compassion. His presence is felt by every kid in the school. They all know him. I think in some ways he's a greater asset to the school than the school is an asset to him."
Students at Amy Biehl last year climbed La Luz trail and worked at Channel 27, the public access channel. Carson reads to special needs kids in second and third grade at Montezuma Elementary School.
"He's great with kids," Victor Proo says.
"I love babies," Carson says. "They're all cute."
Carson lives very much in the moment, an advantage to someone studying Buddhism, which requires a "this-moment mind." Meditation, he says, gives him "mental fire." In concentration, he says, he finds the wisdom of the path.
And he loves movies. "Movies are my life," he says. Action movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan.
He likes "Charlie's Angels" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," a transcendant martial arts movie.
"That was so cool," he says. "I have it."
One of his dreams is to act in movies, using his karate skills.
A sign on his bedroom door says "Carson Taylor Proo, FBI special agent," an homage to Agent Mulder of "X-Files." Carson's still watching the reruns.
He isn't just Carson, aka an FBI agent: He's known sometimes as Chickenbreath or Monkeybutt — silly names that make him laugh, nicknames his parents gave him, knowing he would be teased at school. If he could laugh at Monkeybutt — inspired by a trip to the San Diego Zoo — he might be able to laugh off other names. His parents aren't sure if he was teased but assume he was. If so, Carson didn't complain.
Someday Carson hopes to work with animals, perhaps as a veterinarian technician.
"He can do more than stocking shelves," says his father, a respiratory care practitioner in the intensive care units at the University of New Mexico Hospital.
"He manages to garner respect in his own way."
Victor Proo built a Web site, http://homepage.mac.com/vproux50 recording Carson's activities — at the gym and karate class, of course, but also speaking at a conference held by an association for people with disabilities in Boston last year. Hundreds of people, parents and professionals, attended. Carson used 3x5-inch cards as prompts and talked about his experience as a Down syndrome teen in high school, his hobbies, his travels.
Victor Proo, the father who curled up in the fetal position when his son was born, is videotaping Carson at karate class and elsewhere to make a documentary. He wants new parents of Down syndrome children, teachers, health care workers and the public to become aware of the abilities of special needs people. And he wants Carson's story to inspire others. Because of his son's courage and humor and compassion, he says, "He is my most admired hero."
What is Down syndrome?
Each human cell normally has 46 chromosomes, 23 from each parent. Chromosomes come in pairs. If they don't separate correctly, a cell can have 24 chromosomes instead of 23 — too much genetic information.
A person with 47 chromosomes will have Down syndrome if there are three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two. If it's chromosome 13, the diagnosis is Patau syndrome; if it's chromosome 18, Edward syndrome — both are more severe and rare than Down syndrome.
Copyright 2003 Albuquerque Journal
Check out the Quicktime movie to see one of the kata he will perform for his shodan test. I'm not karateka, but his posture and balance look pretty good to me.
Mark