Imagine sitting in class the first day of your second semester freshman year. As you’re sitting there waiting for class to start you see a girl with long brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a welcoming smile enter the room. As she makes her way towards a chair, she seems to be walking different, in a unique way, swaying side to side. You wonder why she walks like that, but as she sits down next to you and introduces herself you completely forget about the way she walks and start one of those corny icebreaker games.
This was exactly how I met Bree Dunkel in Rhetoric two years ago. Since then, she has become one of my best friends and someone I greatly admire and esteem. Bree was given a formidable adversity at birth, but throughout the last twenty years she has been able to rise above the hardship, becoming an inspiration and motivation to all who know her.
Around the time Bree was born, she was diagnosed with a mild physical form of Cerebral Palsy. This form of Cerebral Palsy interferes with the communication between the brain and the nerves in Bree’s legs, causing them to spasm (spastic diplegia), which results in a walking disability. As a child, Bree had to wear braces and go through years of therapy to help her be able to walk. Now as an adult, Bree no longer wears braces or attends therapy, but she is still faced with the daily struggles of Cerebral Palsy. Doctors say it takes Bree 4x the amount of energy to walk, which makes life on campus difficult for Bree at times. There is also no known cure for her Cerebral Palsy. Another difficulty Bree has to deal with is the ignorance of people who are unaware of her condition, which often comes in the form of stares and comments. Bree also is faced with the possible long-term complications following the years of pressure and friction on her joints because of the Cerebral Palsy, which causes her fear that she may not be able to walk one day. These hardships, both physical and emotional, are things Bree deals with everyday, but despite these adversities, Bree remains a strong and confident individual.
Bree embraces the fact that life isn’t perfect. Friends and family of Bree will tell you she is never negative and never pities herself. Regardless of the trials she faces, Bree is always optimistic and encouraging. Bree’s longtime friend, Haley Kreiter, calls Bree a “warrior” and says that no matter how unfair life is to Bree, she has never seen her give up, not once. Bree always changes the negatives to positives, and uses them to her full advantage. Bree is currently studying pre-nursing here at the University of Iowa with the hopes of one day working with children with disabilities just like hers at the Shriner’s Children Hospital. Bree also works as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics in the cardiology unit where she is able to help and encourage patients on a daily basis.
Bree is a unique and exceptional person. Her personality always outshines her disabilities. Bree also has an amazing support system. She says she can always depend on her family and friends to be there for her if she ever has a “down moment”. Her dad taught her a life motto that she continues to live by everyday: “Accept the things you cannot change and learn from it.” Her good friend, Shawn Paarmann, says that not a moment comes when he doesn’t see a smile on her face. “Bree is Bree.” Her mom says that Bree is never a selfish person and is beautiful, inside and out.
When asked what keeps her going, Bree says that SHE is the one that motives her. “I have to prove to myself that I am a normal, twenty year-old college student.” She says it has taught her to be strong and not judge people; It’s her own struggle and she’s a stronger person because of it.
To see further into the life of Bree Dunkel, check out this video made by one of Bree’s good friends, Bobby Wongkamalasai.