Recently, I viewed a DVD entitled, The Aviator, the story of the eccentric over-achiever, Howard Hughes. Not only was he a perfectionist to a ‘T’, but he was full of little quirks like, for example, compulsively scrubbing his hands for fear of germs. One scene in the film depicts him in a wash room, terrified of handing over a towel to a handicapped person. Although the movie doesn’t cover the end of his life, Hughes is thought to have never adequately faced some of his extreme behavior patterns.
Which brings me to the gist of this post: Bridgewater has a very brave young soul who is directly confronting similar behavior issues after being diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Her name is Caitlin Carey; she lives in Bridgewater and is a junior at Bridgewater-Raritan High School on Garretson Road.
What is so extraordinary about this person is that she has met the challenge head-on early in life, has sought help, and has gone public so that it may help others in a similar situation. Caitlin has decided to chronicle her experiences on a web site dedicated to people with OCD, http://stepoutofthesilence.org/default.aspx. Another one of her significant traits – not a minor one – is that she identifies her strong faith as a critical factor in her life.
All those elements are quite a bundle of positive characteristics wrapped up in a remarkable Bridgewater teenager. When we think of people as ‘stars,’ one of the first things that come to mind are those who excel in sports. In this case, Caitlin Carey appears to be an outstanding star in the biggest game of all – the game of life.
Source: This blog post is based on a story of Caitlin Carey written by Peggy O’Crowley of The Star-Ledger. It appeared on October 12, 2007.
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