David Rose couldn’t hear, couldn’t speak, and couldn’t use his hands. But through his blog, he managed to talk to—and inspire—thousands.
An inspirational blogger and Twitter personality, Rose died October 11 from pneumonia.
Rose, 24, of Orange County, California was born with severe athetoid cerebral palsy and profound deafness. The condition, which rendered him fully incapable of hearing or speech, also confined him to a wheelchair. On Oct. 8, he learned that he had developed pneumonia. Three days later, he died.
Rose decided not to let his setbacks keep him from leading a life full of enjoyment and humor. In August 2012, with the help of his sister Nichole, he set up a blog called “David on Wheels.” The blog’s accompanying Twitter feed saw more than 15,000 followers.
“This blog was suggested as a multi-purpose tool for him to exercise his writing technique and to ‘find a voice,’” Nichole wrote in the blog’s About section.
His physical movement restricted, David used a Tobii computer to communicate. The computer used an infared light to track his eye movement, translating the movements into words. He detailed his communication capabilities in a Sep. 5 blog post.
It didn’t take long for David to develop his voice. His blog tackled everything from his interests to his family to his condition.
“Nichole hate when somebody mock me but is most of time kids she just tell them stop it not cool,” he wrote in his inaugural post on Aug. 31. The post detailed his sister and his love for her.
“People like to ask what my favorite tv show or movie. i ask what is theirs and then agree,” he wrote in a Sep. 12 post.
“But what if power go out? what if a bad person come in or come through door and want to hurt me and no one there to help me?” he mused in a Sep. 20 post. Earlier that day, he had attended a class that detailed how disabled people lived on their own.
The blog’s final entry, which has more than 1,000 comments, was posted by his sister on Oct. 11. David, who wrote the post on Oct. 8, had specifically requested that she post the entry in the event of his death. The post describes his discovery of pneumonia and also includes messages to his family and followers.
“Mom i love you. best mom ever! nichole you know i love you. best sister ever! thank both you for put your lives on hold so many times for me,” he wrote to his mother and sister.
“You have flung love and hope at me for long time using internet! some of you on other side of a big ocean i do not know if you have to fling harder but you did great job lol,” he wrote to several of his friends.
“Dad i forgive you and i love you. thank you for come to see me.”
David Rose’s blog posts and tweets managed to entertain and inspire people everywhere.
“Dave was truly an inspiration. he had the best outlook on life,” commented John Welch on the blog’s final entry.
“Wishing you joy and angels, @daveonwheels. RIP. Comfort and strength to you and your family, @NicholeRose85. Peace,” tweeted Vivian Lee Mahoney upon word of his death.
Photo via Facebook
