FACING THE CHALLENGE, BEATING THE ODDS is a memoir by New Yorker Jimmy Mulzet. At 130 pages, it’s a short read. But as the title suggests, it’s remarkable that this memoir ever saw the light of day in the first place.
Born in 1957, Mulzet’s health deteriorated at an early age, and he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Having been told by doctors that it was unlikely Mulzet would ever walk, his parents were overjoyed when Mulzet did just that. Mulzet’s parents were devout Catholics, and he credits the development to the intervention of St. Gerard: “the patron saint of sick babies,” as he puts it. Mulzet’s parents impressed upon him the importance of being able to walk, and trained him so diligently that he gradually acquired the ability. Schooling followed, and Mulzet would later insist on getting a job outside of the confines of the special school where he was educated.
In 1977, Mulzet began work in human resources at City University, where a program was giving job opportunities to disabled people. Work as a civil servant followed, leading to Mulzet crossing paths with John F. Kennedy Jr. when serving on a committee that addressed employment for disabled people. By the end of the 1980s, Mulzet was living independently and enjoying life; a visit to Lourdes in 1989 was formative, as was the experience of carrying the torch at the Special Olympics the following year. For the devout Mulzet, who is honest in conveying his anger with God for his condition in the earlier part of his life, the highlight of this period was meeting Pope John Paul II during a visit to Denver in 1993. Pilgrimages to Ireland, Rome, and the Holy Land all followed, and much more besides—including a successful run in the New York Marathon.
The memoir FACING THE CHALLENGE, BEATING THE ODDS is written in a simple, unadorned manner, and it’s a heartening—if sometimes heartbreaking—read. There are able-bodied people who do not accomplish what Mulzet has in his life, and the book stands as a poignant testament to what is possible given support, hope, and belief in one’s abilities.
Jimmy Mulzet’s FACING THE CHALLENGE, BEATING THE ODDS is an honest and inspirational account of one man’s struggle to overcome debilitating illness.
~Craig Jones for IndieReader