MY DISABILITY

What happened? Why are you in a wheelchair? What’s wrong with you? Why are you like that?

I’ve heard it all, and I’ve seen the stares. I’m used to it, and I’m not offended by the question in the slightest. Of course, I would prefer this to be asked kindly and respectfully, but I am worried about far more inappropriate questions.

More about those later.

I’ve hated being late my entire life—I even came into the world about three months early! Because of my eagerness to grace the world with my presence, my brain was underdeveloped. The part of my brain that was most affected controls movement and muscle control. This is an injury called Cerebral Palsy, often referred to as CP. I will have CP for the rest of my life, and it won’t get better or worse.

There are several types with a wide range of symptoms and presentations. In my case, I have the spastic quadriplegic flavour.

• Spastic refers to spasticity, which basically means tight muscles.

• Quadriplegic means all four limbs are affected.

I want to show you that I am more than my disability. More than that, I want to show you that my disability deserves to have the space to exist without consuming all of me. Or maybe I’m just proving it to myself.

Our bodies are shells for our souls. Mine seems a little less cooperative but still just as fantastic.