This is an excerpt from the book, Mother of Courage, an inspirational true story about Margaret Chanin, who despite the loss of both arms earned her dental degree, married and raised two boys, taught preventive dentistry for more than 20 years, and became nationally known for her advocacy of people with disabilities. Her journey through physical challenges and adversity is a testament to the power of determination, resilience, and faith.
Photo: Margaret at the wheel. Photo by Wilbur Curtis for the Memphis Press-Scimitar, 1957.
On a bright summer day in June 1955, Marty took the day off from his research position at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte and drove Margaret Chanin to the Prosthesis Training Center in downtown Los Angeles. They were met in the parking lot by a therapist named Roger and a “test car” to which the UCLA wizards had made a few adjustments
A button underneath the door handle popped open the door on the driver’s side. A plastic ring mounted onto the steering wheel enabled Margaret Chanin to turn the wheel with the hook of the new artificial arm that had been made for her. An extension to the gearshift on the steering column made it possible for her to shift gears using her left leg. The starter, and horn and turn signal had all been moved to the floorboard. Roger showed her how to operate them by pressing each button with her foot.
Margaret Chanin, a symbol of disability empowerment and resilience, stepped on the starter and the engine roared to life. It took a couple of minutes before she could maneuver the hook at the end of her artificial arm into the ring on the steering wheel. But once in, she could move the wheel back and forth. With her right foot still firmly on the brake, she pressed her left leg against the gear shift extender. Eventually she was able to pop the gear shift out of neutral and push it into drive.
Margaret took a deep breath and pressed down on the accelerator with her right foot. The car lunged forward, surprising her. She hit the brake and the car stopped short. She’d gone about four feet. “That’s it,” Roger reassured her. “Nice and easy.” By the end of her hour-long lesson, Margaret Chanin was giving her two passengers a smooth ride, gliding in circles, right and left. Stopping and backing up. Pulling into a parking space. “Margaret, you were wonderful!” Marty exclaimed from the back seat. “I’m so proud of you.”
In the fall of 1956, after Margaret Chanin had completed the prosthesis training program, the family moved to Memphis, where Marty had a job teaching chemistry at Memphis State University. Shortly after their arrival, he drove Margaret to a Tennessee Highway Patrol testing station for the driving test required to obtain a Tennessee driver’s license.
She whipped through the written exam, completing the answers with a pencil gripped between her teeth and turning the pages with her prosthesis. The state trooper administering the test was dubious. His incredulity increased when Margaret Chanin slipped behind the wheel of her specially equipped Ford station wagon. Swallowing his skepticism, he climbed into the passenger seat, and off she drove. When they returned to the station, he stepped out of the car and courteously removed his hat.
“Lady,” the trooper said, “mind if I tell you something? You’re the best driver I ever saw.”