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OTTUMWA, Iowa – The motivational speaker had a lot of wisdom to share: How he overcame challenges, found out who he was and learned to accept himself with his good points and bad. And the students seemed to get it. But they also wanted to know how close he and actor Ashton Kutcher are.
“We’re twins ... and I consider him my best friend,” said Michael Kutcher, talking to kids Thursday at Ottumwa, Iowa, High School.
Christopher Ashton Kutcher almost grew up without a brother, Mike said. Their mom and her doctor thought she was having a boy. They were surprised when it turned out to be two boys.
Ashton was born first, at 4.5 kilos. Mike referred to his twin as Jabba the Hutt, the slug-like, gigantic “Star Wars” character. A few minutes later, Mike was born. He weighed just 0,950 kilos and was over-oxygenated.
“The doctor told my parents, ‘You might want to name and baptize him. He may not survive.’ Of course, Jabba the Hutt was fine. I tell people he must have ate everything while we were in the womb.”
When the boys were 3, Mom realized that while Ashton was running around just fine, Mike was not moving the way he should, was lagging behind and just seemed generally “slow.”
Doctors diagnosed him with cerebral palsy.
“For those of you who don’t know what cerebral palsy is, it’s a disability that mostly affects motor function,”
Mike said.
His walk is impaired, he said, and so is his speech. He has trouble performing physical tasks with his right side, is 80 percent deaf in his left ear and has had two cataract surgeries.
“My case is considered mild,” he said.
Mike climbed the steps to the stage and walked back and forth during his talk Thursday, and students seemed to understand him just fine. But there are some things he just can’t do well.
When he and his brother were still in elementary school, they were shooting basketball, following each other’s shots. Ashton made a called shot, “Right hand.”
Mike walked away.
“Where are you going?” asked Ashton.
“I said, ‘You know I can’t make that shot. It’s not fair.’ And Chris (Ashton) even at that age said, ‘You can do anything you want. I can’t make that shot for you. Mom’s not here; she can’t do it for you. It’s your
challenge. Stop using your disability as a crutch. This is your obstacle.’ ”
Those words stayed with him for the rest of his life; there are obstacles that are his to overcome or not overcome. He tossed that ball using his disabled right hand. Unfortunately, since they were in a real Iowa
town, not in a Hollywood script, Mike missed the shot.
“I don’t think I could make that shot today,” he quipped in answer to an Ottumwa student’s question.
But it didn’t matter. The lesson, from a boy his same age, stuck. He’d try. Sometimes, he’d miss. Other
times, he’d succeed.
(Adaptado de: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Michael Kutcher talks about twin brother Ashton, life with cerebral palsy IN Twin Cities Pioneer Press (online). Publicado em 2 fev. 2012. Atualizado em 20 março 2019. Disponível em: https://www.twincities.com/2012/02 /02/michael-kutcher-talks-about-twin-brother-ashton-life-with-cerebral-palsy/. Acesso em: 26 set. 2019.)
Sobre a condição de Michael Kutcher presente no texto, considere as afirmativas a seguir.
I. Michael satiriza sua condição sugerindo que ela poderia ser decorrente da gestação gemelar.
II. Os sintomas da condição de Michael Kutcher se manifestaram quando ele tinha três anos de idade.
III. Além da disfunção motora, Michael Kutcher apresenta dificuldade de fala e perda parcial de audição em um dos ouvidos.
IV. Michael Kutcher revela-se ressentido com o erro médico que o levou à paralisia cerebral.
Assinale a alternativa correta.
