Talking with
HOWARD BELL
Published July, 2000
Howard Bell is a man who’s going places. This may be a surprise to the doctors who diagnosed his illness over 25 years ago. But it’s absolutely no surprise to anyone who meets Howard. He’s going places, and you’d better keep up. Or just move aside.
Actually, his childhood doctors might consider Howard a living miracle. Born on November 25, 1972, he was the third child for Jackie and Paula Bell. Paula, a mother of two active toddlers, became concerned when Howard didn’t show the normal signs of physical and muscular development. Finally, at ten months of age, it was clear to see his situation was serious. In one of her life’s most difficult moments, she took Howard to a hospital in Columbus, Ohio. But rather than answers, she got more questions.
After only a few hours, the doctors told her they wanted to keep Howard for a few days. Three days later, they had their answer. Howard had Infantile Spinal Muscular Atrophy. He wasn’t expected to get better. In fact, he wasn’t expected to live very long.
Even as Jackie and Paula left the hospital that day, they “joined in prayer, led by the Holy Spirit….God, this is Your child. You gave him to us, and as long as You allow him to live, we are going to thank You God, we will raise this child in the fear and admonition of You.”[1]
Twenty seven years later, the twinkle in his eyes and the energy of his voice make Howard a living testament to God’s power. He has already written a book about his early life, More Than a Conqueror. Not only has he survived the effects of his disease, but he has survived jumping over cars and flying refrigerators. And no matter how little time was left in a life consumed by hospital visits and surgeries, he managed to keep up with school work, graduating as valedictorian from South Mountain Community College. This was only the beginning.
Today, with his LSAT test scores in hand, Howard soon plans to enter law school. Anticipating the rigors of stiff competition in school only intensifies his desire to push ahead. He knows what he’s getting into.
For the past several years, Howard worked with his attorney to pursue corporate implementation of the American Disabilities Act, signed by President Bush. He became an expert in the various requirements of the ADA. Businesses sought his assistance in evaluating their establishments for “friendliness” to the physically disabled. And he served on a committee for the city of Tempe, making certain that street crossings and sidewalks all provide adequate access and safety for the disabled.
This is a lot of life to pack into twenty seven years, if you have full use of your body. But it is God’s special miracle for Howard, whose body weighs only 45 pounds. Although he once had enough muscular coordination to play the piano and paint, the disease has taken most of his muscles away. Confined to a wheelchair, he controls his chair with a switch directly in front of his chest and feels fortunate that a surgery years earlier made it possible for him to breath on his own. But he’s not complaining. He doesn’t have time.
Howard’s determination and energy certainly have a lot to do with a very special person, his mother Paula. She has had plenty of reason to despair over the years. “I’ve been depressed a lot of times. You know. Is Howard going to live this year? Is Howard going to live to five? Is Howard going to live to twelve?”
Howard laughs with her, “Or if I’m going to let him live? Through naptime?”
Paula chuckles, too, a sign of her own brand of grit and determination. “Just ‘cause he’s disabled, doesn’t make life any different….Well, I’ve never not allowed him to do whatever he thought he could do. If you think you can do it, go for it, boy. And you know, he has. Amusement park people would say, ‘I’m sorry, Madam. We can’t, for insurance purposes.’ I’d go, ‘I’m not going to do anything to your insurance company. This kid wants to be able to ride a roller coaster. I’ll sign an affidavit, saying if he flies off the roller coaster, it’s not your fault. It’s ‘cause he didn’t hang on.’”
Good-naturedly, Howard interrupts, “She tried to kill me on the flying XXX,” and one immediately pictures both of them strapped together in a whirling tea cup, ‘dying’ in fits of laughter, while amusement park employees watch in amazement.
More seriously, Paula continues, “but the fact is, why can’t he try what he wants to do? Just because he’s in a wheelchair or he doesn’t have some muscles? If you say, ‘I would like to,…’ then go for it. You would if you were whole. You understand what I’m saying? So why differentiate?”
They both count their blessings. Five years ago, God came to Howard at night in a dream. “That night I came to realize that though the whole earth may reject me, my heavenly Father has accepted me and made me His own….Realizing that we have value regardless of whether we are accepted enables us to defeat rejection and live victoriously. From that day onward I have matured spiritually and emotionally.”[2]
Some of Howard’s greatest joys these days come from sharing his passion for life, both as a lay preacher and as an inspirational speaker for teens. God willing, he plans to expand his ministry for high school students in the coming years.
He speaks at high school assemblies and passes on an important message for today’s youth. “Success is not measured by how much you’ve achieved, but rather by how you achieve what you achieve. And I live by that philosophy.” Howard uses statistics on what’s going on in the lives of teens to talk with them. We look at “what society says is going to happen to them, and then we turn around and talk about what we can do to have success. The whole slogan is, when people look at me, I want them to say, ‘YICES, Yes, I can experience success. If Howard can, I can.’
“I love doing it. I do a whole workshop with the kids. I can either do an assembly or I can do an individual class. I like to talk about different acronyms. I believe everyone should have a CALL. The word CALL stands for Charge about Living Life, something that you know you’re living your life for. It can change. But if you haven’t got a CALL for today, then you’re going nowhere. You have no reason to go anywhere.”
Yes, Howard Bell is a man who is going places. The best part of this is that he is working to take today’s youth with him. The passion of his love for them shines bright.
“A lot of people have asked me whether I found it socially difficult growing up as a person with a disability. My answer has always been the same: Everyone has struggles, and we all need assistance with some things. No one is completely self-sufficient. That’s the way God planned it. Once God’s hand touches you, you will never be the same.”[3]
_________________________
In addition to speaking in valley high schools, Howard also structures presentations for junior high and college students. Contact him at More Than a Conqueror ministries, phone 480-829-0601.