Peter is a nine-year-old boy diagnosed with KAT6A. Despite being nonverbal he is literate and enjoys typing on his keyboard. Below you can read his personal blog. His blog entries are unedited and will be updated frequently.
January 16, 2018
Hi kat6a parents,
My name is Peter. I have many disabilities. I like to dance, read books, hear happy songs and ride my bike. I feel happy because my family is always trying to find a cure for kat6a. I like to color rainbow. I like to watch true stories. The universe is full of bogus yet no one minds. The goal of my life is to joyfully teach human history.
Love,
Peter
January 18, 2018
My experience with skiing is truly unique. I established a real understanding of the height of the hill. I feel joyful when I go down the green hill. The lift is dangerous because the feet don’t touch the floors. I like the magic carpet because it’s the safest real way to enjoy skiing.
January 23, 2018
Greetings from the rare disease foundation,
I want to thank everyone for the happy threads. I am delighted to read your joyful replies. I would love to meet Sam, I want to try hiking in Maine and to eat fish.
January 29, 2018
Regards from West Nyack,
I am grateful for the joyful reward received at the talent show. I had enjoyed the great experience, joy, reaction of the people and the great responses.
I believe that i never saw a moose. I personally hate that the extinction of the moose will tremendously ruin the earth. I truly would like to see a moose.
February 9, 2018
Hi from your friend Peter,
Riding the lift was truly rewarding. I experienced the height of the blue hill, green hill, orange hill and understood the dimensions. I love to hike in the iced forest. I read books to explain our true happiness, real joys and ultimate rewards. Life is very erratic. The people I know try to find happiness.
I really enjoyed meeting all the kat6a families, doctors and the excellent subjects. I really enjoyed the interactions between the youngest kids, researchers and the experience of imagining myself being a renowned innovator.
February 12, 2018
Hello,
I enjoyed playing the piano at the talent show off West Nyack Elementary School . I liked the unexpected support of the teachers and friends. I hope that I’ll be able to talk next year because i would love to sing the national anthem. Hearing the children joyfully singing was rewarding. I’m hungry now so I’ll go to the kitchen to eat lunch.
Hugs from Peter
February 21, 2018
Dear friends,
The true treasure is happiness. I’m impressed by people understanding the meaning of the joyful universe. I want to tell my kat6a friends that reading is important because it helps understsanding real events.
Reading about the killing of the moose is very upsetting. I really understand the true reason of the hunting.
Regards
Peter
March 2, 2018
Dear friends,
The weather is fluctuating. The temperatures rise to a high level then drop to extreme cold.
The vision of the respectful award from NYS PTA truly made me happy. I m frustrated because reading aloud is very hard for me. I wish reading was easier. I try to express my thoughts by typing.
March 15, 2018
Dear readers,
I was trapped for over 2 hours in a ski lodge at mount peter in warwick, new york during the snowstorm on march 7. The tow truck towed the car, the driver really exceeded my expectations by taking us and the car to the motel. I ate Chinese food and slept with my family at the motel. I was relieved when I got home.
I hate being trapped because I feel fragile. I like hiking when it’s warmer.
Joy to all
March 23, 2018
Dear friends,
The weather exceeded my expectations. It’s snowing in the spring, the schools are closing and it has been boring. I like my teacher, she comes home and sits in my room to teach me. I heard that June will be warm, the pool will be open and there will be a town festival. I really love hiking, swimming and riding my bike. I remember reading a magazine about hiking in the catskills. I wish I can go there.
April 23, 2018
Dear enthusiastic readers,
I like to enjoy nature in winter and spring. The woods are pretty. I hear the birds expressing happily their feelings. The trees are turning green. Reading empowers young children. Reading makes a difference for children who can’t talk. Reading experiments greatly helps researchers doing their research.
May 3, 2018
Dear readers,
My brother Paul had his first communion the last weekend. We went to church then to brunch. We had the best brunch. Then, we went to the pool.
Sunday was busy too. We had great time at six flags. I went on most of the rides. It was very fun.
May 30, 2018
Dear readers,
I’m extremely happy to be playing the piano on Sunday. I never thought that I’ll be able to play this level. I wish I can talk more. I’m very hopeful that research reaches real outcomes.
June 12, 2018
Dear friends,
I’m very happy for my brother, John, who just finished preschool. He loves to read Scooby Doo books. John is very smart. He reads and plays good on the piano. The weather is nice. I’m riding my bike every day. The joyful rhyme of the birds truly reassures me. I love observing the nature in the spring.
I wish you all a happy summer.
July 15, 2018
Dear friends,
The weather has been nice, I’m going to the Germonds pool every afternoon. I love
the big pool because I can swim laps, greet people, try to play with friends, grant eventual friends
deserts and enjoy the clean water. Germonds pool is my favorite place during the summer. Real
humans come to this pool, they believe in my abilities and treat me with respect.
August 14, 2018
Dear readers,
I really try to behave but I can’t always control my behaviors. I like to go to the pool every day. Swimming helps me control my impulsivity. I deserve to go to school. I’m trying to do my best so my teacher takes me to school. I love to ride on the bus.
Peter
October 1, 2018
Dear kat6a friends,
Healing from bacterial infections takes very long time. My throat was hurting for fifteen days. I got cefdinir and i drastically felt better. I’m thankful for my doctor and my family. I joyfully read your nice comments.
October 23, 2018
Dear friends,
I turned 10 last Sunday. I loved my lattice pie. My family is amazing. Everyone made my day special. I miss going to school. I’m hardly trying to control my impulsivity but I’m not always successful.
November 14, 2018
Dear friends,
I like the fall. The leaves are crispy and have numerous colors. I was raking the leaves really hard when it started to rain. I had to escape the rain and hide under a roof. Hearing the rain was great.
January 4, 2018
Dear friends,
I restarted home instructions this week and it has been a totally boring end of week. Reading requires high attention and focus. I enjoy doing mathematics and science. I hope you all had a nice new year’s eve celebration.
On April 29, 2019, for the second year, Peter was honored with PTA’s Reflections Winner of Literature. Below is his essay entry.
Heroes Among Us
by Peter Najm
Real heroes make the world joyful and safe. Heroes are among us, between us and with us. We are all heroes. We are heroes by being nice. We are heroes by not bullying. We are heroes by not fighting. We are heroes by being humble.
Heroes are real. Brave firefighters are heroes. Smart doctors are heroes. Dedicated teachers are heroes. Humble professors are heroes. Fair judges are heroes. Honest leaders are heroes. Excellent chefs are heroes.
My sister, Mary, is a hero. She tries to play games that older kids play. She likes the high rollercoasters, giant rides and carousels.
My brother, John, is a hero. He reads frightening books and is not scared. He skis very fast fiercely.
My brother, Paul, is a hero. He manages to play with children of all ages. He behaves really good at church.
My mom, Natacha, is a hero. She works at night as a doctor. During the day, she teaches me and my siblings sports, French, good behaviors and helps us with general homeworks.
My dad, Emile, is a hero. He is an engineer, handyman and a musician. He doesn’t take a break. He always find ways to teach me. I’m very hyperactive and impulsive.
Real people try to become heroes. They want to impress their mothers, their fathers, their directors and their friends. They receive honors if they highly perform verbally, by writing, by dancing, by acting, or by volunteering.
