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From: Alan (to Paul)
Date: 05 Oct 2011
Time: 14:01:59 -0500
Remote Name: 95.144.68.191
Hi Paul, Thank you, so much, for your generous comments. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Reading about the lives of other PWS can provide an interesting insight into how they deal (or have dealt) with their respective challenges, as well as offering reciprocal inspiration. It can also alert us to possibilities of which we were previously unaware. Learning about the lifestyles of others can open our eyes to possibilities that we could never have imagined. That’s exactly what happened to me when I heard that man talking about his public speaking activities on April 1, 2000. Prior to that moment, I had always believed that such a role lay outside the scope of someone who stuttered. During the past 10 years, I have (inter alia) undertaken an extensive series of talks to community organizations in an attempt to increase public awareness about stuttering. I generally speak for an hour about my lifetime of stuttering, giving numerous examples of the challenges that I have encountered. My talk is entitled "Lost for Words". Although 99% of the people in the audiences do not stutter, it is important to recognise that folk, in general, are subjected to trials and tribulations within their own lives. Ironically, after hearing my story, many gave confided that they are inspired to confront their own fears and adversities. I find this so heartening - yet also humbling. After such a talk earlier this year, someone (who had faced considerable medical issues from an early age) emailed me to say that he had changed his outlook on life. He wrote, “Listening to you really helped me to look at myself in a different way, I now realise that we are only here once and have to make the most of what we’ve got.” I, wholeheartedly, agree with you that we can gain inspiration and motivation from the experiences of others. I hope that things are well with you and Liv in Norway. It only seems like yesterday that we chatted (by telephone) while you were in the throes of re-locating to your new home. I hope that one day I will have the pleasure of meeting you both in person Kindest regards Alan