My name is Danny McHale. I am a senior at Monte Vista High School in Danville, California. I love sports. A favorite movie is “Miracles” about the 1980 Olympic Hockey team. During the gold medal game, the announcer asked, “Do you believe in miracles?” Like these sports heroes who won a miraculous gold medal, I have overcome tremendous adversity, that some call miraculous, and I believe it’s due to my perseverance, courage, and teamwork.
Despite severe health limitations, my perseverance enabled me to achieve my goal of Eagle Scout. For five years, I worked at completing merit badges and developing skills to attain each of the six rank requirements before Eagle. Baseball is my favorite sport, so my Eagle Project was building a handicap accessible path to the local field. For nine months I worked the entire process from conception to implementation. I teamed with others to help design the path, gain approvals from Little League and the school district, and secure donations for all materials and equipment. On build day, my challenge was to lead 50 volunteers and large machinery, including a Bobcat, to work together to accomplish this goal. Only 4% of Boy Scouts nationwide achieve this award and I was proud to have the courage to tackle such a big project and the perseverance and teamwork to achieve my goal.

Like many applicants, I am a student leader and president of a school club with over 200 members. What makes my story unique is what I do to live each day. Imagine wearing a mask forcing air into your lungs and not being able to swallow. Imagine relying on four machines just to be able to breathe throughout the day. Imagine someone dressing you, brushing your teeth, and combing your hair before lifting you into a power wheelchair to head for the bus. Imagine navigating school’s uneven sidewalks and searching for ramps and elevators while your friends easily amble ahead to class. Imagine that one small step is like a giant wall, cutting you off from places seemingly everyone else can go.

These are obstacles I face every day. I was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) at six months old and doctors said I wouldn’t live to my first birthday. While SMA robs me of the ability to walk, use my hands, and sometimes breathe, it can’t steal my will to live. For me, daily teenage activities like school, sporting events, and hanging out with friends requires perseverance and teamwork to manage obstacles along the way. I have learned not to ask if I can do something, like camping or skiing, but how will I do it?
School can be an obstacle too. Imagine physical barriers like crowded hallways and textbook pages your hands can’t turn. Or doing homework without being able to hold a pencil. I work math problems mentally and then explain verbally. I team with my aide dictating my answers to complete schoolwork. Some obstacles though, are more difficult. SMA affects mouth muscles and my ability to speak clearly. I am self-conscious of this and hesitate to speak my thoughts. I have test anxiety and my disabilities compound this. Tilting my powerchair back to swallow makes it difficult to see the paper. My heart pounds, my brain shuts down and fear freezes my brain. It’s frustrating not to demonstrate my comprehension, but I am determined to fight through this obstacle too.
Courage is taking action even when afraid, fighting even when difficult. I will be courageous and fight to achieve my next goal: a degree from St. Mary’s College. While SMA is a part of me, it will not define or limit me. Sometimes I become sad and ask “why did this happen to me?” But I know with perseverance, courage, and a supportive team, I can accomplish my goal. I remember the movie “Miracles” when Coach said, “This is your moment, you’re meant to be here.” I am here, I am overcoming SMA. I believe in miracles!

Essay: Self Driving Vehicles

What if you could get into a vehicle, tell it where your destination and be able to take off. When I first learned of this idea, I knew that a self-driving car would be a game changer for people with disabilities. Just as my power chair provides me the ability to sit up, get out of my bed and be an active teenager; a self-driving car would give me an independence as an adult that I can only dream of today.

I have Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) which robs me of the ability to sit up, crawl, roll, stand, walk and sometimes breathe, it can’t steal my will to live an independent life. I appreciate the freedom that my powerchair gives me. It is practically an extension of my body as I use it to help me sit up, get around and to even use its electronics as a mouse via Bluetooth to connect to my laptop for texting, homework, and surfing the internet. It gives me the freedom to live a very full and active life as a student leader at my high school, an Eagle Scout and avid sports fan.

Currently though, I’m still dependent on parents or friends to drive our adapted van to take me to my high school, sporting events, and or to a friend’s house. While this was fine when I was younger, as I look towards college, career and the future, I realize how much that the technology of self-driving car, tell it where to go and take off would change the lives of myself and others with similar limitations . I don’t have the strength or ability to use customized hand controls but with a self-driving car, this would not be necessary. I could go shopping, to school, work or to see my favorite sports teams. I would be truly independent of others to go where ever I need.

Many communities do not have fully available public transportation or accessible Uber or Lyft drivers which can trap disabled people. While there is still a long way to go before self-driving vehicles will become commonplace, I believe this technology has the potential to provide freedom, mobility and even economic independence for people who would otherwise be unable to have independent living. I can’t wait to experience this full impact of this next life-changing tool for independence.