Laughs and heartbreak of living with disability

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Tim Wambach, (standing), and Mike Berkson

Updated: January 23, 2012 4:25AM

Who’s pushing whom? That’s the thought which comes to mind when you meet Glenview resident Mike Berkson, a brilliant young man who happens to have cerebral palsy, and his personal assistant Tim Wambach.

Sure, Wambach is the one propelling Berkson’s wheelchair, but it quickly becomes apparent that Berkson has inspired Wambach — to run hundreds of miles promoting disability awareness; to write a book called How We Roll; to co-found with Berkson the Keep on Keeping On Foundation, which helps people with severe disabilities; and to co-write and co-star in an amazing show, “Handicap This!” The pair will present that show at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie on Friday evening, Nov. 4.

During an afternoon rehearsal at Pleasant Ridge School in Glenview, it was apparent that Berkson and Wambach share a deep bond of friendship and trust. The show offers vignettes about their experiences during their decade together and also debunks myths about disabilities. There’s even one section called, “CP for Dummies.”

Questioning life

“Handicap This!” has hilarious moments — as when Berkson has Wambach sitting, lying down and rolling over on command. But it also has some heartbreaking moments. In one, the pair recalls the time the ever-positive Berkson wondered if his life was worth living.

Throughout the performance, the multimedia piece is infused with Berkson’s intelligence and wit.

The pair met in 2001 when 12-year-old Berkson and his twin brother David were emceeing a talent show at Pleasant Ridge School. Wambach had been working at Springman Junior High School with a girl who had cerebral palsy but she had graduated. Berkson’s dad, Denis, asked Wambach to come to the show to meet his son.

“I was magical,” Berkson joked about his handling of those emceeing chores. “People were in tears. They didn’t know what to do with themselves. Me and my brother played off each other very well.”

That summer, Wambach worked with Berkson. “We connected,” he said. “And away we went,” Berkson added, noting that they clicked because he liked Wambach’s “joy, his verve, his zest for life. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. He was always up for adventures.”

And they’ve had plenty of them, including movie outings, a school trip to Washington, D.C., and a trip to Orlando, Fla. in August 2005.

Berkson and his twin brother flew home from that last trip while Wambach ran back to Chicago — a distance of 717 miles. Wambach said he did that run “to show people what Mike lives through, to raise awareness for cerebral palsy and to show people it was possible. Before that, I wasn’t a runner.”

“He asked me to do it with him,” Berkson recalled. “I said, ‘No.’ But I supported him very well.”

Following that run, schools and organizations began asking Wambach (who has had acting training) and Berkson to do motivational speaking. “We had so many stories and the speeches went over so well,” Wambach said, that the pair decided to turn them into a show. That was the genesis of “Handicap This!”

Hoping to inspire

In 2008, they asked their friend Molly Mulcrone to help them develop a script. By 2009, they were performing the show about their relationship. “We hope we inspire the people,” Berkson said. John Frisco directs and Chris Bachmann is technical director. Denis Berkson, who is a professor of theater and communications at Oakton Community College, serves as creative consultant.

“We’ve been doing it for so many different audiences and the reactions have been astounding because it touches so many nerves in a positive way,” Denis Berkson said. “And the message is so strong in a fun, upbeat way. The nicest thing about it is that it’s true.

“Each of us has a wheelchair,” Berkson’s dad continued. “You just can’t see it with everyone. We think something’s holding us back. You can either sit in that wheelchair and say, ‘Darn it,’ or you can start shaking that wheelchair and doing something extraordinary.”