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In spite of his disability ,
Gregory Royer turns sorrow into joy .
Gregory Royer remembers quite vividly the day his life was forever altered . He was just 16 years old on September 2 , 1987 when a vehicular accident left him paralyzed . He also lost the agile use of his fingers . Only his right thumb moves freely now , but being confined to a wheelchair with limited use of his hands did not daunt his spirits then , and still hasn ’ t now , at 50 years old . Gregory Royer lives on the Caribbean Island of Dominica with his wife , Deborah , who he wed 12 years ago .
Theirs is a story that will warm many a heart . It is also testament to the fact that true love is not daunted by disability . They first met on the social network , Tagged , then started speaking on the telephone . During those
frequent conversations , Deborah was not fully aware of the extent of Gregory ' s disability . She knew he had limited mobility but somehow thought it was a temporary situation . Their increasingly frequent conversations led to a deep connection , which at that time , was still only by phone . Eventually , they met in person , and his disability and dependence on others for most of his needs became fully evident to Deborah , but she was not deterred . Love had already set in . She is still happily at his side today .
Deborah ' s effervescent personality and Gregory ' s pleasant optimism are an endearing combination . " Gregory is stronger than I am . He turns sorrow into joy ," Deborah said . And Gregory lovingly shares that his wife " has a good , caring heart " to which she responds , " when you ' re dating or married to someone with a disability , you have to be patient , and have love in your heart ."
Before Deborah leaves for work every day , she ensures that Gregory has everything he needs . And while she ' s gone , on most days , he would create . His hands do not work like others do , but over the years , athough different , they have become very efficient . He creates purses , bags , jewellery boxes , plaques and vases with cardboard being the main material used . Masterpieces are created from popsicle stick and paintings are also done . Now during Covid-19 , Deborah lends a hand with the creativity by making masks .