The Sochi Olympic Games are on this week, and we’ve enjoyed watching the breathtaking speeds and competition of the skiers and skaters. This evening I tearfully watched a wonderful cutaway story about the Canadian skiier (and gold medalist) Alex Bilodeau and his brother Frederick, who has Cerebral Palsy. I’m a sucker for stories of people who overcome any hardship or who work hard to achieve something greater than themselves… so you can imagine how wet my sleeve gets while watching the games. (Or a marching band competition, or a parade… it’s ridiculous.)

But this night, immediately after the story about the Bilodeau family, the NBC announcer for the men’s mogul races referred to Frederick as someone who “suffers from” Cerebral Palsy. I was, frankly, taken aback by the the term “suffers”. Had he seen the video I just saw? There was no suffering depicted. In fact, The boys’ father commented on the daily morning greeting that Frederick always offers: “It’s good to be alive.”

I spent a year as a teacher’s aide at a local high school in a special education class, and those kids were some of the happiest, most loving people I have ever met. One of the students hated putting flash cards in alphabetical order. HATED. She refused, she pouted, she complained to her mother… she suffered just as any other high school student who didn’t want to do their work would suffer. She also had Cerebral Palsy.

Now, I’m not saying that these children’s lives were not more difficult than the lives of my children. I’m not saying that there is not suffering that occurs when a person with a disability has to work harder to overcome an obstacle than I might have to. My friend who uses a wheelchair has to deal with parking spots that are blocked by delivery trucks and ice that store owners haven’t bothered to clear a week after a snow storm. It’s a pain in the ass, I’m sure.

But I think she would agree that her life, like the life of Frederick Bilodeau, is not a life of suffering, but one of daily joys, and annoyances, and ups and downs… it is simply a life, like yours and mine.

Because I do not have a child with a disability, and have only experienced a differently abled life as an observer, I took to Facebook and wrote this status update:

“Question for moms or others who work with people with disabilities… The announcers on the Olympics keep referring to the Canadian skier’s brother as “suffering” from cerebral palsy. Judging by the story they did on the family, I would question whether they agree that he “suffers”. I mean, obvs he can’t have the life his siblings have, but does he not seem to have a joyous life? What say you? The word “suffers” just made me cranky.”

Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks that the term “suffers from” is a no-no. I have a couple of friends who work for the Arkansas Support Network, an organization that supports individuals with disabilities. Others have children with disabilities… we all concur that the announcer for NBC should consider the term he used to be not only outdated, but condescending.

Frederick Bilodeau has Cerebral Palsy. He lives with Cerebral Palsy. He travels with, celebrates with, loves and laughs with, cries and wakes and eats and sleeps with Cerebral Palsy. In other words, he lives… with Cerebral Palsy.

As Buddha says – “Life is suffering.” We are all in this together. Would that we all live life as full-throttle and joyfully Frederick does.