Have you ever wondered why we are all born equal and after a few moments we are confronted with the inequality that the world puts on us, especially human beings?
This is the story of Peter a boy who was born like any other boy, but soon suffered the biggest blow he was different and that was in plain sight.
We were in the 1980s, more precisely in 1985, when Peter was born into a middle-class family at the time.
His parents were farmers and his mother Jane was a seamstress and his father worked in construction, often returning home tired, wet, exhausted, but always with a smile on his face.
Peter in the first months of life always loved by his parents and was one of the most united families we can imagine.
Love reigned in that family.
Peter grew up and went to school, it was scary for Peter because he was different, but different because even he couldn't explain it well.
Peter was born without walking and used his small wheelchair to get around, the school was not yet adapted for people with this disability and the first days of classes were a great challenge.
Peter when he entered the schoolyard on the first day was with his parents and they pushed his wheelchair so he could move around.
The look of the other children said it all, astonishment, strangeness, they asked the parents which boy was that, some laughed, others were indifferent, but Pedro entered the room with his parents and placed himself in a corner of it.
Teacher Alice began to introduce the students and said.
"In this room we have a special boy, we all need to help Peter, each of us has to do a little bit of ourselves to help."
And then the school year began.
The next day Peter went in a van specially adapted for the school and when the bell rang for the students to enter the room Peter did not appear.
"What's up with Peter, where is Peter? Has anyone seen him?" asked the teacher.
Yes, on the first day of school, Pedro was left out, nobody helped him to push the wheelchair, he tried to ask for help but all the children ran to the room and nobody looked at Pedro.
The teacher came out and saw Peter with a tear in the corner of his eye trying to get his little hands to move his wheelchair, but he couldn't.
The teacher helped him and finally Peter entered the classroom and there was a terrifying silence.
The teacher started asking all the students, one by one, why they didn't help Peter into the classroom.
But no one had an answer to give.
The break arrived and all the boys went to play with the exception of Pedro, the boys played the ball and the girls jumped the rope but Pedro couldn't help but look sad, dreaming one day he could do the same things as any other boy.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months and Peter continued to be sidelined by his peers, but something changed.
One day, when Peter was watching his classmates play the ball, one of them picked up a basketball, there was a backboard with a basket in the corner of the yard and some boys were playing.
One of the times the ball came to Peter, but Peter didn't even notice who had thrown that basketball towards him.
Peter took the ball with his hands and threw it to the field and there, light came on in his mind and in the minds of the teammates who were playing.
One of them, a boy who also had some vision problems and was often left out and who played basketball named Jaime called Peter.
"Come on Peter, you can play basketball, you may not be able to play with your feet, but you have hands and arms and you will be part of my team."
Peter didn't know what to say, but something in him said to accept.
Jaime pushed Peter's wheelchair towards the basket and passed him the ball and Peter scored.
"Everyone hugged Peter, something changed and only a ball and a good boy like Jaime could have helped."
Peter grew up quickly, some classmates were already helping Peter into the classroom, but there were still a lot of people who played football who didn't care about him.
Peter perfected his basketball game until he joined a Paralympic basketball team and evolved there, becoming one of the best players on his team and being called up to his country's national team.
At the Olympics, his team won with a huge basket three seconds from the end that Peter scored.
Upon arriving in his country, Peter was welcomed as a hero and decided to throw a big party for the whole community.
Peter invited a lot of people and especially his schoolmates, but then Peter didn't make a distinction, he admitted all the classmates even the ones who didn't help him into the classroom, even the ones who made fun of him, the ones who threw the ball and the ones who rushed to the classroom on the first day, having forgotten him on the street in the schoolyard without helping him, without exception, everyone was invited.
The party went well and all his colleagues came to the party. Peter was now an integrated person in society and quite famous for his prowess of playing basketball, but still a humble person who never leaves anyone behind.
Peter used to say:
"Sometimes we can be alone, sad.
Sometimes we can be seen as different.
But we can, if we want to help change the world, if our difference makes a better world."
