My Left Foot: The Strength of a Mother

"You have broken me heart Christy Browne. Sometimes I think you are me heart. Look, if I could give you my legs, I would gladly take yours." -Mother Brown

The love between a mother and her child is a relationship that is so special that it cannot be substituted. Her love is untainted, and she holds her child and their accomplishments in the highest regard. The first time her child says their first word, or walks for the first time is as good as gold; the 1989 movie " My Left Foot" shows this to be evident. We, the audience, are introduced to Mother Brown who is characterized as a self-sacrificing, loving matriarch of the Brown clan. Her special child, Christy is introduced soon after. Christy can be easily described as a vibrant, energetic child, who was born with a crippling disease-- cerebral palsy.

We can assume, early on in the film, that Christy's father is not as unconditional with his love as his wife is. The doctors inform his parents that he will remain a vegetable for the rest of his life. This ultimately defines his father's relationship with him who treats him as a vegetable. His mother however, is unconvinced by the diagnosis and takes one day at a time, never giving up hope. Christy is ten years old before he is able to exude his intelligence: picking up a piece of chalk with his left foot he writes the single word "M-O-T-H-E-R" on the ground. This scene struck an emotional cord in my soul. The tenacity that this child showed to be seen in the same light as his siblings, is something that everyone that has siblings can relate to.

This film is wonderfully done and I am sure that the novel is just as breathtaking. This is definitely a movie that will leave you being thankful, and make you count all your blessings.