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For the love of Catherine

Susan Schmidt

Does She Know She’s There? Nicola Schaefer. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1999 (previously released in 1978), $20.00.

In this book, Nicola Schaefer shares her experiences of being the mother of a child with cerebral palsy. Her daughter Catherine was born in Winnipeg in 1961. Schaefer takes us through the challenges she faced to get appropriate care and stimulation for her daughter. She came up against significant roadblocks because there were minimal programs available for people with disabilities. At that time, most people with mental disabilities were institutionalized, and Schaefer wanted no part of that for her child. Schaefer has spent most of her life advocating for programs, not only for her own daughter, but also for other families in similar circumstances.

A significant part of this book deals with the lack of services in Winnipeg and how Schaefer attempted to change that. Schaefer also shares personally about her own feelings of what it means to live with a child who is disabled.

I could relate to many of the feelings she expressed, including guilt, anger and exasperation. But it was mostly joy, the kind that comes from a child accomplishing a milestone. The photographs throughout the book help the reader get a better picture of the challenges the family faced and the love they had for Catherine.

Schaefer shares little about her own personal faith. It appears that the church did not play a significant role in the life of the family. I wonder whether any people of faith encountered the Schaefer family and whether a great opportunity was missed because people didn’t know how to respond to Catherine. How would your congregation respond if Catherine came to your Sunday morning service? Does our Conference direct any of its efforts towards educating its members about this?

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of people with mental disabilities. I hope that this book will encourage you to make a new friend the next time you encounter Catherine or someone like her.

Susan Schmidt serves on the board for Hope Centre Inc., a non-profit organization providing a variety of residential and day services to adults with mental disabilities. Her daughter, who faced significant mental and physical challenges, died in 1997 at the age of six. Susan and her husband Ed are members of River East MB Church in Winnipeg.

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Last modified April 19, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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