Show JORGENSEN BREAKS STEREOTYPES C a 1 i Student overcame great odds to run torch in By Dan Staff Writer year old student Amber Jorgensen passed a major milestone in her life last January as she ran the distance of one mile for the first time in her life Having cerebral palsy since birth even walking at times has been an insun insurmountable able task Last Thursday however er she walked swift and strong- strong the bearer of a 2002 torch I was so nervous she said in a personal interview with the Globe I was afraid I was going to drop it or light myself on fire or something like that She laughs at the memory then continues on with her characteristic characteristic characteristic character character- smile I think everyone was kind of nervous but once you got over that it was just amazing Amber carried the torch I from South on Main Street t ff r Mf M MEi Ms Ei s V i iR ii S 7 i a. R g i 1 J y 5 I Mega X elf r z c 4 s 1 t r tAmber lly J I H Amber Jorgensen stud student to the Brigham Young monument monument monument ment near Temple Square Shunning the wheel chair she was advised to use she moved quickly down the route stopping only long enough for her father to tie her shoelace ed her two brothers Daniel and photo by Dan Logan her sister April and her father Keith while her mother DeAnne followed along with the video camera Dozens of family friends and supporters turned out from as far away away as Idaho and nd as close senior semor as the senior center she regularly volunteers at I ran fourth and they said that I 1 had the most people show to that time she la laughed The family still receives congratulatory tory mail from people they haven't heard from in years Cerebral palsy is a debilitating muscular condition caused by damage to the brain cerebral meaning of the brain and palsy referring to difficulties ties in muscle or and/or joint controL con con- Amber was born three months premature weighing only two pounds five ounces and her brain had not entirely developed She was diagnosed as having CP at age 2 21 1 Ambers Amber's mother was afraid that she would be teased growing up but that hasn't been the case She has never had anyone make fun of her Her bubbly personality overcomes all of that In fact Ambers Amber's classmates classmates classmates class class- mates and friends have been very supportive of her Onetime Onetime One Onetime time we were in the mall and she fell down her mother recalls h hard rd but I had to make See JORGENSEN on page 2 Cont page 1 it- it her get up on her own People would run over to help her and yell at me saying I cant can't believe you wouldn't help her But she had to learn to do it herself If not she would never have learned to walk again t Learning to walk again is something Amber is very f f. f familiar with With multiple I surgeries and months in casts she has had to learn to walk again four different times One time the family was forced to lay her on a table I and place plastic grocery bags with cans in them on her he J ankles forcing her knees to bend I was screaming so loud and was probably bawling she reflected It felt like 20 knives stabbing m me in my knees My aunt got so mad she ran out of ft v the house A i c r Amber was nominated t e for the torch run I i- i t last January by her mother barely making the deadline Amber Amber has freed her body I from t the the its of cerebral bral r i- i palsy by b by not letting it rule nd Sher I et life ambi ambitions ambitions ons goals and ang dreams she wrote in her essay Despite and because of discouragement by others she has a great desire sire to accomplish accomplish pUsh anything s1 wants If i it takes Amber 10 lJ years rs to to become a teacher SHE WILL WIL r. r v P PAGE AGE 10 10 O. O J DO IT said her mother An student since fall of 2000 she sees her future as elementary school educator Fourth grade or below she figures would be the ideal teaching range Any older than that and they get a little wild Amber has learned how to hold her own in tough situations situations situations situa situa- however Along with her malady she was born with a in built-in survivalist attitude You can do anything- anything it doesn't matter what disability you have if you believe in yourself yourself yourself your your- self and have the support of your family and friends she stated firmly Just keep on going and anything can be ac om- om A 4 |