Off Balance: A Memoir

[QuietColours]

Chapter 7: Jennifer

• Early Childhood
  • Born in Salem, IL on Oct 1, 1987. Grew up in Hardinville, IL, a tiny town near the Indiana border. It had a four way stop with stop signs are the center of town and no stoplights
  • Was adopted in the first few months by Sharon and Gerald Bricker. Having met them, Dominique describes them as some of the most kind hearted and down to earth people she's ever met. They had three sons, Brad, Brian (Bubba), and Greg, and had always wanted a fourth child, a daughter. Sharon wasn't able to have more children, so they decided to adopt
  • The boys were 14, 12, and 10 when Jennifer was adopted, and they were excited and enthusiastic about having a sister. She was the princess of the family and they were very protective of her, but they didn't treat her like she was delicate–they taught her to be tough, rowdy, and bold.
  • That she was born without legs was never considered a handicap to the Brickers, and Jennifer participated in every sport, game, or adventure. She jumped off things, climbed trees, did flips and handstands. She credits her brothers with teaching her to be fearless
  • Sharon had retired from the bakery she'd worked at when the boys were young and was now a stay-at-home mom available to care for Jennifer full time. Gerald worked as a carpenter and at an oil refinery. They had minor arguments, but talked out their problems so there was never lingering tension at home
  • Dominique wishes her parents had talked things out–they either fought or didn't talk at all. Tense moments were more common than peaceful ones. Many of her and Christina's childhood memories include fear, sadness, and occasional threats of violence.
  • Sharon would wake around 5 or 6, fix breakfast (bacon, eggs, and toast), get the boys off to school, and spend the day with Jennifer. She was an even-tempered, happy woman who liked taking care of the house while Gerald worked
  • Gerald was "a strong man's man, with a sensitive side." Hardheaded, strong willed, and compassionate. Whenever she had an argument with her parents and stormed off to her room as a teen, he would always come up to talk to her. "Can we be friends" her dad would ask to kick of the conversation
  • Dominique compares this to her father's ruling the house with an iron fist, and acknowledges it was very much him reliving the kind of household he had grown up in. She says it doesn't excuse it, but it does give her a better understanding of Tata.
  • Dominique remembers thinking in her first conversation with Jennifer, "Thank God someone was watching over her, so she didn't have to suffer like Christina and I did."
• School
  • Attended elementary school in another small town, Oblong
  • Other kids obviously noticed she was different–using a wheelchair naturally drew attention. Jennifer answered their questions with "This is the way God made me." It was what her parents had told her and what she believed
  • No one treated her differently at home–she participated in every activity, had chores and responsibilities just like her brother. She didn't expect special treatment at school either
  • The other kids got used to her quickly, so much so they sometimes forgot she didn't have legs
  • Growing up she sometimes used prosthetic legs that had been specially designed for her, but ultimately she decided they slowed her down and stifled her
  • Her four story high school had no elevator. She climbed the stairs like everyone else and had a wheelchair stashed on each floor in case she needed it
  • To Jennifer, having no legs means that she may have to do what everyone else does a bit differently, but it never occurred to her not to do those things
  • Jennifer is a natural athlete like Mama. She loves sports and always participated in every activity she was offered. She did softball, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and tumbling. Sometimes her parents would have to alter her equipment to allow her to play, but they always figured it out. When she wanted to rollerskate, her parents made makeshift skates she could attach to her hands
  • She was lucky to always have teachers who supported her, with a special note to her 5th grade teacher Mrs. Sweat–an eccentric woman who reinforced her family's lessons about standing up for yourself even when it feels like the world is against you
  • When she was 11 they went to Holiday World in Indiana.
    • After waiting hours to ride a roller coaster, she was turned away at the front of the line because she didn't reach the height requirement. She felt this was unfair because she was large enough to be properly secured by the harness–her body was actually bigger than many of the children on the ride. If she'd been wearing her prosthetic legs, she would have met the requirements. The operators didn't consider any of that–she didn't meet the requirements, period
    • The next day at school she told the story. Mrs. Sweat spent a good part of the day teaching about discrimination and why it's wrong. Jennifer was taken aback and deeply thankful for this lesson
  • Growing up with three brothers, she was a complete daredevil. She scared her parents by jumping off their second story spiral staircase onto the couch. She take a book and climb the big tree in the backyard and read for hours
• Gymnastics
  • Was always a fan of gymnastics and loved watching it on TV. She was particularly drawn to Dominique–the littlest gymnast on the floor. Dominique reminded Jennifer of herself–they were petite, with dark hair and eyes and striking facial features, and Jennifer knew she was also of Romanian descent
  • Jennifer watch all of Dominique's meets, read books and articles about her, and told her family she was going to meet her one day
  • When she was in second grade, she told her parents she wanted to be a gymnast, and they enrolled her in gymnastics classes, then tumbling classes
  • This coincided with the 1996 Olympics. Jennifer told Dominique that watching her succeed even though she was so young and tiny compared to her peers inspired her to start competing. She excelled at tumbling, competing over the next four years and winning various competitions at her age level
  • By the time she was 12, Jennifer was a small-town her through her tumbling feets, having participated in four state meets and winning the State Championships once, as well as competing in three national meets and one Junior Olympic meet.
  • In high school, she decided she'd done all she wanted to in the sport of tumbling, and she wanted to do high school things like hang out with friends
  • Her positive outlook has been an inspiration for Dominique, even in the short time she's known her. Life isn't an obstacle, it's an opportunity