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Disability Doesn't Stop Jacob Barrett

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| Writer/Editor
Jay Barrett
Jay Barrett

Jay Barrett always wanted his son Jacob to experience the freedom and independence of life as a young, exuberant, and sometimes stubborn boy growing up in Londonderry, NH. So what if his heart jumped a few beats when he came out one day to see Jacob upside down under a four-wheeler or on another occasion being dragged by a spooked horse?

Currently a sophomore journalism major at Keene State, Jacob Barrett has learned, as he says, “to go with the flow,” despite being born with cerebral palsy – a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions, such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking.

Working as a sports reporter for the Equinox, the College’s student newspaper, Barrett takes his independence seriously. Maneuvering around campus with the aid of a walker, he finds a way to reach his destination – even this winter when mounds of snow left more able- bodied students hunkered down back home or in their dorm. “This last winter wasn’t easy on him, but he still made it a point to get most of his interviews done in person,” said Kendall Pope, the sports editor of the Equinox, who like Barrett came to Keene State from Londonderry High. “Jacob was persistent about getting his work done. He definitely has a determination that’s very special.”

But Jacob doesn’t see himself as special. He tends to keep to himself and doesn’t want or elicit sympathy. But as much as he tries to deflect much-deserved praise for his ability to overcome the obstacles that life has thrown his way, it also takes someone special to endure multiple surgeries, treatments, and injections that have ravaged his lower extremities, the result of being born with CP.

As much as he tries to remain positive and focused on his sports writing and schoolwork, Barrett says he still has moments when he gets down. “It comes with the territory,” he said. “A lot of times I’ll be watching sports and I’ll say to myself, I want to do all that stuff. At the same time I’m still blessed with an able mind and family and friends that have helped me out so much. So it’s all about overlooking all of the bad and seeing the good.”

Barrett, who was diagnosed with CP at six months old, has always been able to see the silver lining in the midst of difficult times. “I still have full capacity of my brain, so I’m very thankful for that,” he said.

Even at a young age, Barrett was determined to defy those who questioned his ability to get up on his feet and walk. “One day I looked outside and he was walking in the pool, said Jay Barrett. “The water gave him the buoyancy to take a few small steps. It was like he was training himself to walk.”

With the help of the doctors at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Jacob Barrett was determined to turn those short steps into longer walks. But it wouldn’t be easy. In addition to therapy and a series of treatments, Barrett not only needed leg braces, a walker, and crutches, but also several surgeries to correct his lower extremities and spine. At the age of seven, he had a double osteotomy - a surgical operation in which a bone is cut to shorten, lengthen, or change its alignment.

Following a lengthy and painstaking recovery which included several months in a body cast, Barret began to see some significant improvement in his muscle tone and gate. Jay Barrett, taking his then eight-year-old son to a nearby physical therapy clinic, saw Jacob take his first steps. “It just brought tears to my eyes. He could stand up by himself and walk independently,” Jay Barrett said. “You start thinking about all the possibilities.”

With the help of rehab and his positive mindset, Barrett progressed to a point where he could run short distances and play football and basketball with friends in his backyard. “When I was younger, I didn’t really see myself as different because I didn’t fully understand what was going on with me,” he said. “But as time went on the kids at school got meaner and I realized I was a little bit different – and that was tough.”

For all his progress, Barrett also had his share of setbacks. At the age of 14, getting ready to enter high school, Barrett not only had his second osteotomy, but six months later began experiencing lingering pain due to fractured vertebrae in his lower back. He underwent a spinal fusion procedure, enduring a prolonged recovery that forced him to spend the first two years of high school in a wheelchair. “Throughout high school I had a major chip on my shoulder. My biggest fear is to end up in a wheelchair the rest of my life,” Barrett said.

It took a while for Barrett, who confessed to his own stubbornness and immaturity, to come to grips with his situation. “When I was in high school I sometimes blew off classes and pretty much everything else. It wasn’t fair that everyone is able to do all this stuff and I’m just stuck here,” he said. “I didn’t have a say in the matter. I felt slighted and cheated, so I pushed people away a lot. For many years I felt sorry for myself.”

After some serious soul-searching, Barrett was able to come to terms with his plight and realize that feeling sorry for himself wasn’t the answer. “I came to the realization that this is the way things are and how they’re going to be. I try to work every day to do all I can to get better and find solace in that,” he said. “At least I’m trying, but either way this was the hand I was dealt and feeling sorry for myself isn’t going to get me anywhere.”

In addition to his family and friends, Barrett had several allies at Londonderry High that stood by him and enabled him to graduate on time. “Jacob is a very unique person but he never let his disability get in his way which I admire about him. However, in the same breath, he is very stubborn and he could have made his path a lot easier,” said Julie Manni, a special education teacher at LHS who also served as Barrett’s case manager.

Manni said that Barrett insists on taking harder college prep classes and finding a way to walk across the stage at graduation. “I’m empathetic with him. I’m not sympathetic with him,” added Manni. “He had some pretty significant surgeries throughout high school and was prescribed some pretty hefty medications that he chose not to take because that would have prevented him from driving to school and doing his work. He’s just one tough cookie.”

Barrett’s high school years also took a toll on his father. “It kills me sometimes to see other guys with girlfriends and playing sports,” said Jay Barrett. “Jacob is handsome and driven and if he had the ability, he’d be out there on one of those teams. You feel the pain for him.”

Keene State, which has about 450 students utilizing its Office of Disabilities Services, made sense to Barrett in many ways, not the least which was the fact that it is a predominantly a flat campus, enabling Jacob to maneuver around and get to his classes. After considering several majors including pre-law and political science, Barrett decided on journalism with the hope of someday covering his favorite professional team – the New England Patriots. Barrett says he likes covering the Keene State teams and meeting the coaches and athletes. “Jacob gets to know the people he’s interviewing. That’s one of the best things he does,” said Pope, who calls Barrett one of her top writers. “He really does care and is interested to learn about the teams and has a lot of fun with it.”

Barrett, who also likes to write poetry and play around with rhythm schemes, said one of his favorite Equinox stories was about the Owl field hockey team raising money for breast cancer awareness – a story that was featured on the front page of the sports section.

While his mobility has been a deterrent, Barrett has no intensions of slowing down. “I’ve been through a lot, but it’s just the way life is. Whether it’s me on anyone else you got to just grit your teeth and push through it,” he said. “I could’ve just folded right off the bat and at times you do. You fall and you might not get up for a while. But eventually you swallow your pride and just push forward and realize that there is more to life than just what’s going on with you, and you try to focus on that.”

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