Anita Cohen Talks to Butterfly Girls About Travels with her Scooter, Cane and Can-do Attitude

Peconic Bay Zonta facilitated a presentation by Anita Cohen (at right) on “Traveling with a Disability.” On March 20, 2019, Anita spoke to 25 young girls as part of Peconic Bay’s ongoing support of the Butterfly Effect Project, a local organization whose aim is to develop self-confidence and academic skills in girls.

Anita has multiple sclerosis and has visited four out of seven continents around the world. Wow!

“I threw a lot of ideas at them at the beginning – about the difference between disability and inability, and how important it is to try to surmount either,” she said, adding that inability can be overcome with education and training.

Using maps and photos, Anita gave a mini geography lesson and discussed the people, culture and accessibility of the main places she’s traveled to: all 50 states, with Hawaii winning her award for most accessible; then Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Mediterranean Europe, South Africa and, in February 2019, Cuba. “I especially wanted to see South Africa because my two daughters, Linah and Diana, grew up there, coming to the U.S. at ages 13 and 11,” she said.

Anita noted that the Butterfly girls seemed to find South Africa most interesting because her account was personal. “I played a video I had taken at an animal park where we mingled with two white lion cubs,” Anita recalled. “My granddaughter Isis, then 6, was working up the nerve to pet a cub, which was almost as big as she was. While she’s doing that, one wanders in my direction and jumps up on me, enough to throw me off balance. I’m saying ‘help, help, help’ very softly and no one notices until I’m down, but I’m fine. Isis finally does pet the cub and has the happiest smile on her face.”

– photo by Marty Van Lith

She also displayed various pieces of equipment she uses for mobility, including a cane, walker, leg brace and scooter. Said Anita, “I hope I did some gentle empowering by sparking an interest in the wider world and emphasizing how important it is to keep trying, whether dealing with a disability or an inability.” 

The Butterfly leaders and girls welcomed Anita and her husband, Marty Van Lith, with warmth, cordiality and appreciation for their generosity of time and effort. The girls asked questions about Anita’s disability as well as the many places she has visited. They really seemed to respond to her can-do attitude.

Many thanks to Anita and Marty for such a pleasurable and instructive evening.