Man with cerebral palsy breaks down barriers to thrive in tough economic times

Brian McCarthy was born with cerebral palsy that left him with impaired speech, shaky hands and a pigeon-toed gait.

"I had the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck," McCarthy said. "I've spent my life trying to unwind it."

He's done a pretty good job: McCarthy is a skier, a mountain biker, a canoeist, a hunter and a camper, not to mention a skilled entrepreneur who started a home-building business that peaked at $1.7 million of sales in 2005 before the housing market declined, leaving him with sales of just $40,000 in 2006.

In response, McCarthy rebranded his company as a remodeling business, with a focus on reworking homes to accommodate people with disabilities and the elderly. The payoff: McCarthy Builders and Remodelers grossed $1.5 million in 2007 -- and hit a record $2 million in 2008.

Years of therapy have shaped his speech so even a hard of hearing person can follow the conversation, and because of the tight muscles on his right side, he's had to transform himself from a natural right-hander into a southpaw.

Then there's the shakiness that ebbs and flows. "Some mornings I have trouble buttoning my shirt, and I couldn't fix a screw on your glasses," he said. "But I can lift and pull, put up sheet rock and swing a hammer." However, he concedes that the scars and bruises on his fingers indicate periodic difficulties with the hammer thing as well.

Then there are the shoes: "I walk through a new pair of shoes in about two months," McCarthy said. "I'm pigeon-toed on my right side, so I quickly wear out the toe. Then I overcompensate on the left side and wear out the heels."

It hasn't been easy, said his wife, Maria, a Realtor who has sold most of the homes he has built over the years.

"He's had to adapt and adapt and adapt," she said. "But he never gives up."