My name is Claudio Pantè and I have cerebral palsy.
My hardest challenge was accepting my disability and against the odds I just wanted to be like everybody else and with the determination from myself and my mum everything fell into place.
But there was a long hard road ahead of me. My biggest setback in life was being different to the point that I was looked at and judged.
I wrote a book, Claudio Pantè – A LIFE, not to be a writer but to show people with a disability that with determination you can live a normal life, not forgetting there are hurdles along the way.
I have proven this by working and being married with two children. The book is not only for people with disabilities but for the parents to show them that if they have a child with a disability it’s hard at the beginning for their child to live a normal life. The book will answer many questions for parents along the way.
I had a mum, with a child who has cerebral palsy, thanking me for making her understand what her child is capable of and how she felt better about her child with the condition.
I had an eight-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who watched me on YouTube. The mother contacted me to thank me for making her son understand that he was going to be all right.
About the book
Claudio Pantè – A LIFE is the autobiographical account of a journey from early childhood to mature adulthood. It is a journey towards self-acceptance. Always able to accept difference in others, as the autobiography clearly indicates, Claudio has had great difficulty accepting his own difference – his cerebral palsy condition. However it is this condition that has motivated not only his autobiography but all of his life’s experiences.
Written in a style that reflects an ability to accurately record his visual memory, coupled with a story telling skill that resembles an oral tradition, it engages the reader fully.
Claudio Pantè – A LIFE is quirky and funny, yet at the same time deeply moving. A man who acknowledges throughout the book a number of supportive and loving people over many years, Claudio’s journey is inspirational and enlightening. Above all, it is a positive experience for the reader because honesty, courage and optimism are the very essence of the book.
Claudio’s book can be purchased for $20 plus postage by emailing [email protected]. Through sales of the book, he aims to raise money for kids with cerebral palsy and more specifically a foundation in Geelong called Kids Plus Foundation. As of November 2011, he has donated just under $10,000.00.
Claudio would also like to thank Cerebral Palsy Australia for their support.