adaptability is the quality of being
able to adjust to new conditions over
the course of our lives experiencing
change is inevitable those changes can
be tiny like getting a new haircut or
huge like losing a loved one whether
they are big or small we have no choice
but to adapt to them about five years
ago I experienced a massive change
I moved from Sao Paulo Brazil to Boca
Raton Florida I left behind everything
I’ve ever known and started from scratch
in a new country the reason for this
sudden move was my brother okay when he
was 2 years old and that I stopped
talking not entirely but he started
talking less being quiet and acting shy
when my parents noticed he was
regressing they took him to a well-known
doctor about home in Brazil who told
them to put him in speech therapy they
thought it wasn’t a serious problem and
that he would eventually catch up to the
other kids
but they were wrong communication is not
the only difficulty he faces with his
fine motor and social skills are poor
and his behavior is not like the other
kids as his age for example he would
swing his arms around instead of keeping
them relaxed instead he would by his
sides he could not understand people’s
facial expressions and he was not able
to kick throw or even catchable after
five years of innumerable different
appointments with different doctors we
said we still could not find a clear
diagnosis so he had barely improved
that’s when my parents decided that it
was time for us to move to the US where
the doctors were better and more
specialized in this area our lives
changed drastically after the move my
dad was gone half the time because his
work was still in Brazil this was really
hard for us as our family it was used to
spending time together every day it was
especially hard for my mom who had to do
everything on her own she had to juggle
taking me and my brother to our
different schools driving into that
everyday 40 minutes and back from his
doctor’s appointments and managing the
house she also had to get used to going
to bed every night without her husband
by her side as for me my husband
to a new school which I hated and guy
used to see to not seeing my friends or
family who I was really close to the
first year was horrible
I cried every night wanting to move back
home and wishing everything could go the
back to the way it was I eventually was
diagnosed with depression which I still
struggle with to this day I was also
very lonely because my mom and brother
were almost always at the doctor’s when
my dad was always in Brazil when my
parents finally told me that the reason
we moved was because my brother had
difficulties and needed help I
understood why we had to come and
started to accept it however finding out
just how different my brother was hit me
really hard
I’d always noticed that he was different
and more mature but it never had
occurred to me just how serious it was
I was scared of talking to him after
that conversation because I thought I’d
see him differently now that I knew the
truth
but instead I felt the same as I always
had but now I knew that I’d have to
treat him differently for example I knew
I had to be more patient with him and
sometimes challenged and encouraged him
to do the things that he had difficulty
doing and that also had to adapt instead
of enjoying his time as a normal kid
having a normal childhood he had to go
to therapy every day physiotherapy
occupational therapy visual therapy you
name it he had it as if that was not
enough the school switched him to a
different classroom halfway through the
year so he had to get used to that as
well his school insisted on switching
him because they thought that he should
be in the class with other kids who had
disabilities which angered me and my
parents because he was much smarter than
them and he did not have as much
difficulty as they had we were insisted
and insisted but they would not give in
a year after we moved my brother got
diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1
or nf1 which is the condition caused by
a genetic mutation getting an answer
after five years of searching was
bittersweet
we finally knew why my brother struggled
with simple things that came so easily
for the rest of us and we knew what we
had to do to improve but on the other
hand and if one is very unpredictable
manifest in a variety of ways my dad for
instance only found out he has a nf1
gene mutation after my brother was
diagnosed because the only experience
the only symptom he ever experienced
were light brown spots on his body one
of the possible symptoms is
neurofibromas which are small growths
that can potentially turn into tumors
knowing that there’s a possibility that
my brother could one day develop tumor
is a terrifying unsettling thought and
was another factor we had to get used to
our first two years in America were
filled with novelty and change it was a
lot to adapt to but I’m really glad we
did if I have not adapted to living in
the new United States I would never have
talked to any of my current friends I
would never have gone to love here as
much as I do now if my mom had not
adopted to her new life she would still
be stressed and a happy if my dad hadn’t
adapted to it either he would still be
lonely but most importantly if my
parents had not adapted to my brother’s
special needs you’d never have improved
he would never have been able to throw a
ball he would never have been able to
look people in the eyes while they’re
talking to him he would never be able to
notice if someone’s making a joke or
being serious he would never have been
able to have a proper back-and-forth
conversation with anyone he would never
have been able to learn how to keep his
arms relaxed by his sides instead of
waving them around adaptability played a
huge role in my life
and I’ve learned that it is a crucial
skill to master I have yet to experience
numerous changes and because I
understand the importance of
adaptability I know that I’ll be able to
get through whatever life throws at me
no matter how old you are
you will go through so many more changes
in your life big or small and you’ll
have to adapt to them I don’t know where
I’d be if I had an adapted and I
certainly don’t know where my brother
would be if my family hadn’t adapted but
what I do know is that change is
inevitable and adaptability is crucial
thank you [Applause]
able to adjust to new conditions over
the course of our lives experiencing
change is inevitable those changes can
be tiny like getting a new haircut or
huge like losing a loved one whether
they are big or small we have no choice
but to adapt to them about five years
ago I experienced a massive change
I moved from Sao Paulo Brazil to Boca
Raton Florida I left behind everything
I’ve ever known and started from scratch
in a new country the reason for this
sudden move was my brother okay when he
was 2 years old and that I stopped
talking not entirely but he started
talking less being quiet and acting shy
when my parents noticed he was
regressing they took him to a well-known
doctor about home in Brazil who told
them to put him in speech therapy they
thought it wasn’t a serious problem and
that he would eventually catch up to the
other kids
but they were wrong communication is not
the only difficulty he faces with his
fine motor and social skills are poor
and his behavior is not like the other
kids as his age for example he would
swing his arms around instead of keeping
them relaxed instead he would by his
sides he could not understand people’s
facial expressions and he was not able
to kick throw or even catchable after
five years of innumerable different
appointments with different doctors we
said we still could not find a clear
diagnosis so he had barely improved
that’s when my parents decided that it
was time for us to move to the US where
the doctors were better and more
specialized in this area our lives
changed drastically after the move my
dad was gone half the time because his
work was still in Brazil this was really
hard for us as our family it was used to
spending time together every day it was
especially hard for my mom who had to do
everything on her own she had to juggle
taking me and my brother to our
different schools driving into that
everyday 40 minutes and back from his
doctor’s appointments and managing the
house she also had to get used to going
to bed every night without her husband
by her side as for me my husband
to a new school which I hated and guy
used to see to not seeing my friends or
family who I was really close to the
first year was horrible
I cried every night wanting to move back
home and wishing everything could go the
back to the way it was I eventually was
diagnosed with depression which I still
struggle with to this day I was also
very lonely because my mom and brother
were almost always at the doctor’s when
my dad was always in Brazil when my
parents finally told me that the reason
we moved was because my brother had
difficulties and needed help I
understood why we had to come and
started to accept it however finding out
just how different my brother was hit me
really hard
I’d always noticed that he was different
and more mature but it never had
occurred to me just how serious it was
I was scared of talking to him after
that conversation because I thought I’d
see him differently now that I knew the
truth
but instead I felt the same as I always
had but now I knew that I’d have to
treat him differently for example I knew
I had to be more patient with him and
sometimes challenged and encouraged him
to do the things that he had difficulty
doing and that also had to adapt instead
of enjoying his time as a normal kid
having a normal childhood he had to go
to therapy every day physiotherapy
occupational therapy visual therapy you
name it he had it as if that was not
enough the school switched him to a
different classroom halfway through the
year so he had to get used to that as
well his school insisted on switching
him because they thought that he should
be in the class with other kids who had
disabilities which angered me and my
parents because he was much smarter than
them and he did not have as much
difficulty as they had we were insisted
and insisted but they would not give in
a year after we moved my brother got
diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1
or nf1 which is the condition caused by
a genetic mutation getting an answer
after five years of searching was
bittersweet
we finally knew why my brother struggled
with simple things that came so easily
for the rest of us and we knew what we
had to do to improve but on the other
hand and if one is very unpredictable
manifest in a variety of ways my dad for
instance only found out he has a nf1
gene mutation after my brother was
diagnosed because the only experience
the only symptom he ever experienced
were light brown spots on his body one
of the possible symptoms is
neurofibromas which are small growths
that can potentially turn into tumors
knowing that there’s a possibility that
my brother could one day develop tumor
is a terrifying unsettling thought and
was another factor we had to get used to
our first two years in America were
filled with novelty and change it was a
lot to adapt to but I’m really glad we
did if I have not adapted to living in
the new United States I would never have
talked to any of my current friends I
would never have gone to love here as
much as I do now if my mom had not
adopted to her new life she would still
be stressed and a happy if my dad hadn’t
adapted to it either he would still be
lonely but most importantly if my
parents had not adapted to my brother’s
special needs you’d never have improved
he would never have been able to throw a
ball he would never have been able to
look people in the eyes while they’re
talking to him he would never be able to
notice if someone’s making a joke or
being serious he would never have been
able to have a proper back-and-forth
conversation with anyone he would never
have been able to learn how to keep his
arms relaxed by his sides instead of
waving them around adaptability played a
huge role in my life
and I’ve learned that it is a crucial
skill to master I have yet to experience
numerous changes and because I
understand the importance of
adaptability I know that I’ll be able to
get through whatever life throws at me
no matter how old you are
you will go through so many more changes
in your life big or small and you’ll
have to adapt to them I don’t know where
I’d be if I had an adapted and I
certainly don’t know where my brother
would be if my family hadn’t adapted but
what I do know is that change is
inevitable and adaptability is crucial
thank you [Applause]
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