I sometimes think it’s a cliche to say that “my hero is my father” or “my dad is the greatest guy I know” but, my father has been that and then some and in my opinion lived up to his name Cecil “Skelly (Skeleton)” Spence.
Since he was born, he has been taken with Polio and according to https://www.cdc.gov/polio/about/index.htm site polio is a disease that one can be born with that can cause lifelong effects to the body. Polio was a significant health threat in the 1950’s, but polio can cause damage to the spine potentially causing paralysis, losing feeling in the legs and feet, or meningitis. Luckily, modern technology has advanced over the years and created a vaccine to prevent our generation from this virus but in my father’s era that vaccine was not around yet.
In the 1950’s polio was a facing a horrible outbreak of polio and my father had needed support from leg braces, crutches, or a cane to maneuver around but that never stopped him. Most people find the smallest things to complain about or to say that they can not do something, but this guy has never let polio stop him.
Spence on the left and Bulgin on the right
At a young age, he participated in Jamaican basketball wheelchair team and performed in Jamaican band called Hot Lickers at the age of twelve.
But it’s not just him, Israel Vibrations was composed of two other members, Albert “Apple Gabriel” Craig and Lascelle “Wiss” Bulgin who also had polio but shared the same passion and will not to let their disability stop them from making music. They eventually came together, and Israel Vibrations was born.
“I never let my disability hold me back. I’m not looking for sympathy or pity from no one, because when they pity you, they feel they have power over you” -Skelly
Over the years, Israel Vibrations have been making their mark on the world and leaving a message behind as they go one that transcends far beyond their music. Although their group of three is now down to two, Skelly and Wiss still keep the show going and their fans in complete awe! At a young age, I never understood why people idolize my father as they do because to me he is just dad, and sometimes I am still amazed. However, as an adult and a person who wants to help individuals with disabilities, I see him as a fantastic human being. My father and this band have shown me that no matter what, not to let anything stop me from doing what I want to do in life. No matter how big or how small a task may be, it may take time to get there, but it can be done.
As I carry on in the Human Service field and even as a human being, I use this band and my dad as inspiration to myself and others that nothing in this world is impossible as long as you keep fighting for it.