Like A Butterfly - Poland

March 2007
This is the story of twenty-three year old Przemek. Born unable to move or speak, he has been stuck in a wheelchair all his life, and thought by doctors to be mentally impaired until he managed to learn BLISS. Combining the use of signs with signals such as batting the eyelids or tapping his foot, he has finally found a way to express himself. This documentary reveals his poignant struggle to make himself heard. Now an award-winning poet, he recounts his feelings of entrapment and frustration at not being able to communicate with others. He also recalls his traumatic experience being moved to a nursery home as his mother could no longer take care of him. 'Disability is less of a tragedy than not being understood', he tells us. Thanks to BLISS, his craving for love and affection has found a voice.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Journeyman
• Pictures
• Poland
• Przemek
• wheelchair
• disability
• brave
• signals
• BLISS
• communication
• poet
• expression
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
• journeyman
• journeyman pictures

[KoroOutbreak]

All problems in humanity are created by our refusal to listen.

[wiskawind]

This just made me weep. Most of us take for granted our ability to communicate, and ramble on saying nothing while humanity suffers. This young man struggles every day to communicate and says so much more than any of us, with a blink of his eyes.

[barrach7]

@jom2005 At least in Poland they have a medical care system, whereby if you're poor/black etc you're not left dying on the streets... I imagine that (eg) the people in New Orleans may agree. Great film

[Psylocibowy]

who transleted that disable boy in the beginning? Folks wake up its some scum. Those ppl are total amateurs, not a real journalists.

[dumonceauxable]

Many people don't realize that cerebral palsy patients are usually very intelligent. Thankfully, today their are very sophisticated computers that allow these people to communicate so much more easily. Read "Under The Eye Of The Clock" by Christopher Nolan (autobiography of a brilliant young man with CP). He has also written another fiction book. God Bless the loving caregivers!

[MrLegendman3]

Im doing my chem homework right now and I thought this was a song so I was all happy. I then started it got 3 minutes in and wept like a baby.

[Beever0]

How can someone dislike this video..?

[sayuri84uk]

@TheMaidenengland 

[yohanwicker]

God bless Przemek!! Love him so much

[tpet43]

Amazing! Powerful! We do take for granted our abilities God has given us!

[TheMaidenengland]

Put IT out of IT's misery.

[Bobtailthecat]

This was so emotional! So sad... I'm so sorry for him, I almost wanted to cry, but then I would never see the screen! :( And everyone ignored him, so I don't blame him for calling someone a "son of a bitch"! :( I would do the same thing if this happened to me! Usualy I don't put comments on things like this, but this was asking for it, it was too sad! I had to imagine I was him, now see how you would feel if you were him! :(