Good morning! At least, I hope it's morning when you read this.
I hope this issue finds you well and happy. For those of you who missed my interview on Lillian's SpeakOut! on March
8, you can go to my site and download it there:
http://www.shirleycheng.com It's under "Radio Interviews with Shirley Cheng." As you can see, I've
redesigned my site, changing the colors and adding bookmark links to
make the navigation of my site easier.
At 9:00 a.m. CDT earlier this morning, I appeared live on WLTH 1370 AM
with host Robert Banks. I had a wonderful time, and I was honored to be
on Robert's show because he is such a nice person and great host. I
apologize that I did not let you guys know about this interview, but I
was scheduled just yesterday, so I did not get a chance to share the
news.
Like many of the previous radio hosts, Robert was curious to know how do
I remain so positive and so happy despite all of my disabilities. I told
him and his listeners, "I believe I was blessed with the element of
positivity. I have always been a happy person; I was known as the Happy
Baby, even when I was in great pain. I spent my early years in constant
pain and was hospitalized for many years between America and China until
age eleven. It is my passion for life that has allowed me to go for the
gold medal in life. I count my blessings every day and I value life. I
cherish every minute. I hold on to the happy moments, learn from my
mistakes, and I move forward; I don't dwell on the bad moments. I focus
on the good things, on the positive side of things."
And toward the end, I said, "Always keep in mind that there is always
someone out there who is in a much worse situation than you are in, so
be thankful for what you have and who is around you!"
I received a five-star review on Amazon for Dance with Your Heart: Tales
and Poems That the Heart Tells:
Review by Malcolm R. Campbell, Campbell Editorial Services
The enchanting tales and poems in this book dance on the page. They are
well written and exuberant. With a gentle touch, they inspire and teach
profound life lessons in the manner of mythic tales and fables. After
stories such as "The Greedy Cat" and "The Dishonest Fox" bring a knowing
smile to your face, they will delight your children and grandchildren
through multiple readings.
Last but not least...
I am looking for nonfictional short stories and articles for my website
(
http://www.shirleycheng.com)
on the following topics:
1. Parental rights in children's medical care: Personal stories from
parents who have run into trouble with the American law when they said
no to doctors' recommended treatments or when they wanted a second
opinion; personal stories from children who have been affected by these
kinds of custody cases involving their parents and doctors.
2. Disabled/special-need students with one-to-one aides in schools:
personal stories from people of all ages who had experienced
mistreatment or abuse from the one-to-one aides assigned to them to help
with their physical needs (i.e. push the wheelchair, bathroom needs)
when they attended public schools in America.
3. Personal stories and articles about blind and/or disabled computer
users, and blind and/or disabled writers, focusing on their challenges
and success
4. Personal stories or opinion articles about disability
issues/challenges that disabled people face, either on a regular basis
or occasionally
5. Personal stories and articles about the special bond between parent
and child, especially the powerful maternal love
Credit, with a short bio, will be given to each and every entry posted
on my site. Since I'm asking for entries from people of all ages and
walks of life, I'm not looking for literary merit; I'm interested in the
content, but the entries have to be clear and concise (I might need to
edit the entry for that purpose). Of course, if you're a professional
writer, I expect a well-written piece. Please e-mail me via my site http://www.shirleycheng.com
with inquiries first before submitting
anything, and no attachments please. I'd greatly appreciate it if you
could forward my request to others. Thank you, and I look forward to
receiving your submissions.
-Shirley Cheng is a blind and physically disabled author and poet of
three books by age 20, and an advocate of parental rights in children's
medical care and students with special needs. She is the survivor of the
1990 five-month internationally broadcast custody case involving her
mother Juliet Cheng and a Connecticut doctor.
