This past year I have accomplished more because I have CMT than I would have accomplished if I were healthy and whole. In late August, I enrolled my 89-year-old father, who is the fist in a four-generation CMT family still living, in a model Adult Health Day Care to give him socialization experiences as well as health care. Since he lives with me, this allowed me to re-enter social living myself after caring for him the previous eight months.

Also, in late August of 1989, I attended the first support group for neuromuscular diseases, sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association here in Fresno, California. There I met Maureen Jepsen who showed us samples of the CMT Newsletter. I ordered all back issues to learn more about CMT and gave out the newsletter address throughout the following months to all new CMT members attending our new support group.

After time off to get my father stabilized from falls and hospitalization in the fall, I responded in January to ads in the newsletter for three generation families of CMT people currently living and willing to participate in research at Duke University Medical Center. The following two months, I convinced, organized, and drove family members to participate in the research program. This was no small task to convince members why participation was necessary and not easy to synchronize doctors, medical staff, Muscular Dystrophy financial support, and family members!

Following the involvement in the research program, I completed writing a family history of my father's family. The history included facts about his mother who is the fifth generation back with a record of symptoms of CMT. Using CMT Newsletter articles, I compiled a list of possible and proven symptoms of persons who have CMT to be used as a survey tool to report the CMT history in my father's family for the Duke University Research Department. I wrote a chart listing the family members, which generation, and columns of various symptoms known to our specific family. This was sent to the research people and to any doctors and clinics we are working with on CMT problems. The checklist of symptoms is also given to any CMT people in the local support group.

Also, in March, using the CMT Newsletter and several other sources, I compiled and wrote a paper on The Stages of Grief Accompanying Any Loss, which has been used locally at several support groups.

Perhaps because of the writing involved in producing the family history and the papers on CMT for research and the support group, I was inspired to enter a William Saroyan Writing Contest on April 30. Saroyan is an internationally known playwright, short story and book author now deceased. Fresno, where I live, was also Saroyan's hometown. He grew up here and lived here part of each year. He won the Pulitzer Prize for The Time of Your Life play. The past six years, a week of honoring him has been celebrated. This was the first year adults were invited to enter the writing contest. Adults were asked to write concerning an incident of involvement with Saroyan or of an observation of another's involvement with him.

I had observed Saroyan in a chance meeting he had with a four-year-old boy in a local post office. I met Saroyan two weeks later in the same post office and had a conversation with him. My essay-story form showed how, by his actions and words, Saroyan felt "everyone's important" which is the title I gave to the piece. Excerpts from my story appeared in the local newspaper as follows:

"For Mr. Saroyan did not give a hoot about his lecturing...but he was interested in the human condition of a small boy and his fantasy of being a real cowboy and interested just because he was a 4-year-old boy...He was especially intrigued with the story of the 17-year-old Armenian boy, who came to ‘America to look for his cousin, but raised a family of six successful children and became a loving father and father-in-law years after he realized he would never be able to find his lost cousin for his aunt back in Armenia."

The newspaper quote continued:
"Then, in the spirit of the writing contest honoring Fresno's most famous writer, Lanter-Kasparian concluded with her version of Saroyan's genius:"

"This brief interlude of questions and answers fired back and forth between Mr. Saroyan and me revealed more than any lecture would have taught, for Saroyan, the writer, was reaching for details and Saroyan, the student of human condition, made it clear to anyone at Cardwell Station post office on East Griffith Way that everybody is important."

I won first place in the adult division and a $100 U.S. Savings Bond. Unlike Saroyan, who refused to claim his Pulitzer Prize for writing the play The Time of Your Life, I shamelessly claimed both the award and the money! They told us the winning stories would be permanently filed at the local library with writings about William Saroyan and writings by Saroyan. My local, permanent, claim to fame! Also, my son recorded my acceptance of the prize on videotape as I limped that long-n-ng-g-g distance across the cement to receive the recognition in front of a large crowd. My son said I appeared by my facial expression to be shy or embarrassed. All of you CMT people will appreciate the fact that I was concentrating on not falling down in my two braces!

After all the activity and work involved with research and writing, a friend and I took a bus trip to northern California. My friend told the tour leader of my writing award. She introduced me over the loudspeaker to fellow passengers and they gave me an ovation while I managed to stand in an upright position by clutching the seat directly in front of me.

Another reason for taking the three-hour bus trip was to learn if I could survive the trip up, a day exploring, and the three-hour trip home. I did and had enough energy still to go out to dinner after arrival home!

Throughout the summer, I took beginning sculpting classes, producing many pieces, with the latter two pieces making their debut on television locally in August and September. The pieces of sculpture were not that outstanding that they should be on television, but the local Muscular Dystrophy people had recommended that a profile interview be done on me by a local television station. The theme of the profile interview was to show one who seems to live above her disability.

The television reporter and photographer interviewed me and my dad in my living room. They showed the two best pieces of sculpture. One was a Madonna-like mother-child of ivory colour, the other was a mother kissing the forehead of a child.

In discussing the Duke research on our living four generation family, the photographer showed my grandmother's, my four adult children's, and my granddaughter's pictures on the program. The report mentioned the writings of the family history and other writings. They photographed my new braces provided by Muscular Dystrophy and my hands as they zoomed in on shots of several oil paintings by me of seagulls, seascapes, landscapes, and boats. All the while, beautiful music played in the background. The photography was outstandingly lovely. The interview aired twice – once on the local five o'clock news and at least once on the local MD telethon in September. People called because they were so touched by the interview

.I am currently enrolled in four writing groups and one flower painting class. In October, an all-day workshop for writers and writers-to-be is due.

The past year has been overflowing with abundance. We trust that the future will be a veritable cornucopia of positive results from all doors that have been opened and entered this past year. Especially in the field of research, we, who participate in such endeavors because we have CMT, expect a great harvest soon.