Every condition has more effects then people are aware of – that’s what I’d like the world to know.
it’s 1: 12 PM on day 2264 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, have breakfast, read Psalm 7:17 and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign –raised $9 161.04 only $3 338.96 more to raise to reach my second goal of raising $12 500 for Smile Train before Jan 10 2017 (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far ).
Today I would like to share the different challenges of a life with Cerebral Palsy people see the wheelchair and assume that my challenges are just physical when in reality that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Take a look:
The Multifaceted Challenges of Cerebral Palsy
- Physical: Because I am less mobile than the average person my hamstrings are tight, my muscles are stiff, I have poor circulation to my lower extremities and it takes longer for food to pass through my digestive system
- Social: Growing up as a child and even in my teenage years I did not have many friends (outside my family) I always felt like people got stuck on the shell that is my body which made me instinctively just shut down thankfully things are better know because of the work I do people see that there’s more to me then my body which also makes me wonder if I didn’t do what I do and if I wasn’t who I am would most of these people still be around?
- Mental: I think I have more than a little health anxiety I’m always worried something’s wrong with me physically (and in my situation honestly I don’t even blame me – I bump my foot and the next think I know I’m on antibiotics for an infection)
- Emotional: Over the years people have said some of the most hurtful things about me and to me and as a result I’m a very guarded human I never let anyone see me cry out of emotional pain I won’t give them that satisfaction (I can take the cruelty of others I’m a big girl but seeing my mother cry over the ignorant things people say about me just destroys me my mother’s tears are like drops of acid on my heart)
- Accessibility: Before we go anywhere we have to research whether the transportation to the place and the accommodation at the place is wheelchair-accessible and sometimes even after we do the proper research and make the proper arrangements we get there and things are not as we thought they would be (it’s the most annoying thing known to man)
- Attitudes of the general population: Most people are presumed competent until they prove otherwise, whereas the differently-abled people are presumed incompetent until they prove otherwise (I’ve used being underestimated to my advantage – if people decide to feel sorry for me they will pay dearly for it ( and the beneficiary of their pity will always be a good cause LOL 🙂 )