A Plea for Awareness - Ignorance is No Excuse

For any of you that have been following my Associated Content progress, there are plenty of things you do not know about me, but there is one that you would never have been able to figure out. You may know that I am a mother, and a college student, struggling to make some sort of living online; but you probably do not have a clue that I am by all definitions of the word, disabled.

Now you are reading this thinking, what could be wrong with her? Relax; I am normal, or as close to it as it comes, depending on how you decide to define the word. No gross deformities, and even in speaking to me over the phone or face-to-face, you would not figure it out. The culprit: Cerebral Palsy.

Fortunately, for me, it was not caused due to a malformation of the brain developing during pregnancy. Instead, an oxygen shortage to my brain that could have been avoided caused a portion of it to "die" (for the lack of better explanation).

Anyway, I suppose it all boils down to a desire to show the world that just because I have cerebral palsy does not mean I cannot be a functioning, productive member of society. Not enough people are aware of Cerebral Palsy, what it is, and its causes, let alone the wide spectrum of differences in the severity of the condition. Yes, you see people affected by it who cannot be left alone, and will require assistance for their entire lives; and you see people who have difficulty with several things. But, what about people like me who function almost normally, who just walk a little funny?

When speaking with people about Cerebral Palsy and more specifically how it affects me, I tell the truth; but I do not like the "attention" it gets me. I fall easily, and frequently at that. That does not mean everyone who witnesses it must jump up frantically to make sure I am okay. I have many aches and pains, but I do not complain, and wish to deal with it privately. I want people to know that while I am disadvantaged in the sense that I cannot ride a bike, skate, or swim, that I am a normal. I want people to learn that this disability is not a sentence to a life of hardship, or sorrow. Rather than wallowing in self-pity over what I cannot do, I embrace the things I have done, and can do well. Cerebral Palsy has been a blessing in disguise for me. I focused more on academics, and showing the world around me that I am something, and will be something.

It has not always been easy for me, growing up the subject of many jokes and the source of laughter for many of my peers. There were days I would cry because I was not like the other children. Growing up and learning how to cope with the condition, I realized that those children would be the ones who continued to be insensitive until someone else showed them how to care, or to handle a situation such as wondering why I walked funny tactfully. I found that I was not as upset by the outright question than by the pointing and whispering. Going to therapy, wearing splints, being threatened with corrective surgery out of medical necessity because the muscles in my legs just would not loosen.... None of this was fun for me, but it was what I knew to be normal.

It does not matter what other people think and say, but rather how I feel and how I handle it. I fear the day when my son's friend asks him what is wrong with me. My son is innocent, and knows no difference between the way mom walks, and how dad walks. So when someone calls out the difference to him, how is he going to handle it? What will I have to explain?

My plea is, do not speak harshly of what you do not know. Do not be like so many others I have known and tell me that I am using the Cerebral Palsy as an excuse not to do something, or that it will prevent me from doing something. Awareness is the key; and by sharing my story, I hope to alleviate the issues for children that I dealt with growing up affected by Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy often is overshadowed by so many other conditions that we hear about every day; and, I am not saying it is any worse, better, or more deserving of public attention, but the more people who know of the condition and how to handle it, the better.