Inspirational: Claude Pante inspects a copy of his autobiography.
KIM WATERS
“Spastic” echoing across the playground was a soundtrack to the childhood of Grovedale’s Claude Pante.
As a cerebral palsy sufferer, the taunts left him constantly wondering whether he was “normal”.
But the gutsy 40-year-old has overcome his disability, this week launching self-published autobiography Claude Pante – A Life.
Claude grinned as he opened the manuscript to display the text “You can tell me I am a person with a disability, but let me tell you the person I am” on the first page.
“I’d say to anyone with cerebral palsy to get out there and have a go. Don’t feel sorry for yourself and hide away.”
Claude used the painful experience of learning he was “different” as a key point in his autobiography.
“My favourite part of the book, and my wife’s favourite part, is when I talk about sitting in a high chair in a nappy at about 15 months old and thinking ‘Am I different or is everybody else not normal?’”
Claude often had “a tear” in his eye while hunched over the keyboard typing with one finger at 2am.
“It was an emotional experience but I wrote it from my heart – you can tell that when you read it.”
His first print run of 400 books was already sold out, he said, with the proceeds going to Kids Plus cerebral palsy charity.
Claude, who has a job as a gardener at Geelong City Motors, chuckled at the thought of writing a second book.
“They say that if you’ve done something well you don’t touch it again but there’s always a possibility.”
