Dancing on our Disabilities interviews Rainey Ofiero

AKA-Miss Sunshine

Click on this link to listen to Rainey.

Resilience is one of the most important traits a person can have.  Ms. Ofiero’s nick name is Rainey, which is  the exact opposite of the upbeat personality her followers have come to know and love about her.  I personally call her Miss Sunshine.   She has the uncanny ability to say something positive to hundreds of Facebook followers every single day regardless of what may be happening in her personal life.  In my opinion, she consistently exhibits resilience.

Have you ever wondered what it is about certain people that make them so resilient and so able to adapt and manage life’s challenges?

Studies have shown that resilience is something that is created by an individual simply by having the right attitude about life, as well as knowing and understanding their purpose.  We read stories about people who experience great sadness, disappointment, and even tragedy in their lives.   Nevertheless, amazingly they manage to bounce back and rebuild their world, sometimes over and over again. There has been a great deal of research about resilience for more than a half a century which has revealed some interesting facts on the topic.

Are some people just born that way?

One thing that is remarkable about some of these studies, including one done at Harvard Medical School, is that resilience is not always genetic. Yes, it can be learned just like happiness.

Resilient people all have the following characteristics;

A strong sense of reality: resilient people make sense of what is happening and create meaning for themselves.  They are able to find purpose in what they do.

 Faith in their belief’s: People who go through terrible ordeals have a deep sense of faith. I’m not referring to religion. I’m speaking about faith in general and faith in who they are and in their capabilities to recover from just about anything.

Optimism: They see their glass as half full and not half empty.  This is a key characteristic.  If you feel hopeless, undoubtedly recovery will be daunting.

Improvise: if they can’t do it one way, they never give up and they find a way around the problem

Creativity: They think outside of the box to solve problems.  You will not find resilient people throwing up their hands and crying out ” why me?”

Dancing On Our Disabilties is happy to have Rainey visiting us today:

About Rainey:

Rainey was born and raised in Connecticut, U.S.A. and she is a polio survivor. One might tend to call her a victim of polio, but she rejects the concept and states boldly; ” victim ” is a definition, and must never become a state of mind.”

It happened just before my third birthday – a present to last a lifetime. Rainey did well during her recovery and after many operations; she could walk with a long leg brace and crutches. Rainey, now a grown woman with many years of stress on her already damaged body and legs, as well as life’s personal issues, has had to make major adjustments as her mobility became more and more challenged. She is now confined to a wheelchair. The situation is even more challenging because of the many other side effects of Post-Polio Syndrome.

Rainey say’s “Life goes on though, and I will never let my disability define the woman I am.  Among the blessings I’ve received, are my two loved and revered adopted daughters from India, my angels.  They are my world and my life.  Family and friends have been there for me, offering support and love as well as my new PPS friends who are my extended family.   I enjoy sports, and have a mad passion for soccer and football.  My life’s dream is to ice-skate some day!”

The pace has slowed now for Rainey, but she is never without a smile, and laughs out loud everyday while she embraces humor and share’s joy with her thousands of Facebook’s friends in a group she manages called post-Polio Syndrome.

Words of wisdom from Rainey-“There’s even more time to enjoy the ” simple ” things – a good sunset, a nice nature walk! (roll). Life has a lot of beauty to offer.  We really should – literally – stop and smell the roses.  When asked what I would like to be called.  Handicapped, disabled or physically challenged, I politely say Lorraine or Rainey will be fine. Thanks.”

To contact Rainey: Visit- Post Polio Sydrome Group on Facebook-