My parents married in 1998, and one year later, I was born. My mom was given a private room in a private hospital, but shortly after that, she was transported to a public hospital. She felt me moving and told the nurse that something was wrong, but the nurse did…
Love can come in all kinds of forms and presents itself in various ways. Of course, there is romantic love, but many other forms also exist. As a person who has a severe physical disability, such as cerebral palsy, people have shown love to me in all kinds…
A common question many people ask of us who have disabilities is, “How do you do it every day?” Or, my favorite comment, “I don’t know how you do it! I couldn’t handle doing what you go through.” My initial reaction is to feel a bit offended and…
Holiday preparations are in full swing and the giving of gifts has already begun for some. I spent some time recently reflecting on my favorite gifts I had received through the years. I enjoyed some very magical Christmas mornings as a child, and I remember well the feelings…
Today, I want to talk about something a lot of us think about, but that can lose its importance on our to-do list. That is our need to stay strong when confronted by the pressures to get things done or to succeed. Those of us with cerebral palsy…
A multicenter study revealed that 38.1% of parents of teens with cerebral palsy (CP) have significant stress levels requiring professional assistance. The stress is especially caused by the behavioral disturbances of the teen. The study, “Family adaptation to cerebral palsy in adolescents: A European multicenter study,”…
Another year is starting and the family holidays are behind us. During those holidays, did your friends and family pull out old pictures of you and tell stories about different times in your life? Sometimes, tales about before you got sick or when you were “better?” In my case,…
A large national study shows that U.S. families provide about 1.5 billion hours annually of at-home care to half the nation’s children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) — including those with cerebral palsy — representing a substantial economic cost. The study, “Family-Provided Health Care for Children With Special Health Care…
Family dynamics are always complicated, and it seems that everyone’s family has their problems, but the weird thing about our own families is that we as people tend to think that our family’s problems are isolated and specific to us. As we grow and connect with people, we find out that…