The fourth post in this series comes from KG. An aspiring author, current high school student, older sister to an 8 yr old brother, and not to mention a web series actor -- KG has a wealth of stories to share. Of all the roles that KG plays in her life, she says that her most important one in her life is that of a friend to her friends & family; she is always at the ready to return what others have done for her in the name of friendship. On her down time KG enjoys singin' along to the tunes of Taylor Swift, and writing in her own blog here!
Ever
since I was younger I've always wished that I was special. I know that many
parents will argue that all kids are special in their own way (and I agree with
that 100%), but I wanted to be REALLY special, to be unique in a way that had
nothing to do with my OI. Basically, I wished that my petite body was a
disguise for something big and important.
It took
jumping out of my comfort zone to realize how special I already was, and still
am.
In
January, my dad came upon an article in the newspaper about a new, local web
series called "Ghost Sniffers." The article stated that the show
starred a nine-year-old ghost hunter named Faith Forge, played by FD. Both in
real life and on the show, Faith has Type 1 diabetes. Her real-life twelve-year-old
brother M has Aspergers and plays twin brothers Maxo and Maximilian. The
article also reported that they were holding open auditions at the local
library. Quickly, I jumped onto my laptop and went to the official "Ghost
Sniffers" website, www.ghostsniffers.com/.
I watched the two episodes that were available online at the time and I fell in
love with the show. It occurred to me that if both of the main characters had
disabilities, then it might not matter that I use a wheelchair and have O.I; I
wondered if maybe they'd be accepting of who I am. I realized then that the
only one holding me back was... me.
Determined
to give it my best shot, I memorized the lines of the two roles that I wanted
to audition for and I went to the library, my stomach fluttering as if filled
with a thousand angry moths searching for an escape. When I drove up in my
wheelchair, JD (the writer, director and
cinematographer of the show) and her family made me feel like I belonged there
just as much as anybody else. After asking for some basic information JD said,
"Now, I'd like you to please come behind the blue curtain over there and
show me what you can do." There, I took a deep breath and began reciting
my lines. Upon finishing, I was proud of my performance. JD seemed pleased too,
but I couldn't be sure.
Then I
got asked the big question, "Why do you want to be on 'Ghost
Sniffers'?" At first my mind went completely blank. Why am I here again? I asked myself in a panic. I hadn't really
done any acting before, so why was I
auditioning for an acting role?
"Well,
I really like the show--" I began to say, scrambling frantically for an
answer. Then I found it: "I want to do something where my disability won't
stand in my way," I replied.
Anxiously,
I waited up until midnight to hear back about my audition. At a quarter until
four, I was roused from my sleep by a very small noise: my phone made a little
"ding," indicating I'd received an email. Sleep clouded my vision and
I blinked several times to clear it. Clumsily, I fumbled with my phone and
began reading the email.
It said I hadn't gotten either part.
JD felt
I wasn't quite the right person to play the characters I had auditioned for.
She said it wasn't because I lacked talent, but because the roles I had
auditioned for just weren't quite right for me.
So... she decided to write an entirely new
role for me to play instead.
"Ghost
Sniffers" explores the question, "What if every kid with a disability
also had a superpower?" Basically, what if the genetic switch that
activates disabilities also triggers super abilities to compensate? It's said
that when one door closes, another door opens, after all.
After
reading the email all the way through, I rushed down the hall as fast as I
could to wake my parents. Yes, it was then four in the morning, but if I didn't
tell someone, I was going to burst with excitement.
I've
come to realize that I have my own super abilities, not just on the set, but
off set, too. The experience of jumping out of my comfort zone to audition for
the show has taught me a lot about myself. As it turns out, my fragile body
really is a disguise for something special. In fact, it's a disguise so
deceiving that even I fell for it. My brittle bones disguise the bright light
within me. And now that I've realized that, I can finally let the light shine
through.
