Aren't we all rich here by any reasonable measure?
I somehow grew up expecting life to be perfect, and although I am pretty good survivor I sometimes feel a little disappointed when it is not, until I come across reminders like this one of how lucky we all are just to be loved, housed, fed, clothed and reasonably healthy. I do not think I am strong, brave or resolute enough to have lived this woman's life.
OBITUARY
Celestine Tate Harrington
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Celestine Tate Harrington, a deformed entertainer who wowed Boardwalk tourists for years playing an electric organ with her tongue, died Wednesday from injuries suffered in a traffic accident. She was 42.
Ms. Harrington, who lived, performed and traveled face-down on a motorized hospital-style gurney, was struck by a car February 19 while riding down a city street.
Ms. Harrington was born with stunted, useless arms and legs after her teenage mother tried to abort her with a coat hanger.
In 1976, the 4-foot-10, 191-pound woman won the right to raise her own daughter when she demonstrated in court how she could change a diaper--using only her mouth. She has two daughters of her own and two adopted ones, all of whom are now adults.
In 1984, she began working the Boardwalk, using a bucket to collect donations from those who wandered by and stopped to watch her play "Amazing Grace," "Born Free" and "Stormy Weather" on her battery-operated keyboard. |
