Why I created This Blog

But first before I tell you why I created this blog let me tell you a  little bit about myself. Let me start when I was six months old and was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. While cerebral palsy has varying degrees of abilities, I have a type of Cerebral Palsy that’s called Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. But if you asked all the people that know me they would tell you that it doesn’t stop me from doing anything that I want to do.I have an amazing family. My sister and my two brothers are pretty awesome too

            Starting with my Mom, she would never let me sit in a corner or tell me that I couldn’t do something just because I am in a wheelchair. At the age of 10 I became fully wheelchair-bound. And when I was five years old they told my mom that I would have to go to “a special school”. I came home later that day telling my mom that I didn’t ask to be born like this so no one should make me feel bad about being in a wheelchair. She created a special school just so I could be educated just like everyone else.

            While being educated just like anyone else I was also met with challenges that most people would not believe. At the age of 10 I decided that it was more important to gain friendships in and education that would last me a lifetime, it didn’t come without its share of challenges. In middle school, I would be accused of having my mother doing my homework for me, meanwhile she was in Boston dealing with my twin sister’s challenges, she would then tell the teachers that I was doing all the homework myself. There would also be school districts that would refuse to educate me because I was in a wheelchair. My parents moved me to the school district that would educate me all the way through high school.

            High school has itself challenges, that any teenage girl must meet. I would have been best friend from the age of seven with me along for the ride, her name is Aimee. She is the best of the best friends you could ever ask for. When we first walked into the high school they soon realize that they did not have an elevator for me to go to the second floor of the school. Years later a renovation would follow that allowed many children to go to school with and without disabilities. I myself never saw myself as a person with a disability, I always saw mountain in front of myself and though it may be easier for others to climb my climb is a little harder.

            After four years in a regular high school, it was time to apply to college. My dream was to always go to the University of Connecticut. But the counselors and school district that I went to refused to let me apply. With me being the way that I am I would not accept that as an answer, I applied to the University of Connecticut along with other schools in secret. I would soon be accepted to the University of Connecticut along with all the other schools that I applied to. That in and of itself was a dream come true. I graduated high school on the honor roll, and I can honestly say I did it all by myself.

            Freshman year at UConn would soon arrive and five days before I was to start college as a freshman I would be faced with the challenge of my life. For many years I had been dealing with stomach issues that just wouldn’t go away, five days before school and start I would get the phone call that would change my life. It turned out that I had a 15 pound ovarian cyst sitting in my stomach since I was about 13 years old. I would soon meet doctors and oncologists that would tell me they didn’t know what was going to happen to me. My junior year at UConn I would get the news I had been waiting for, I was in the clear. And though my cyst is fully gone, I am left with lasting effects that will be with me for the rest of my life.

            Getting a job as a person with a disability would also come with its challenges. My dream was to always teach children with challenges similar to what I face every day. I want to be able to teach them that no matter what challenge they face they will be able to overcome it. Years later after graduating from UConn, I would receive the full-time offer for a job that I had been wanting all my life. I finally felt that there was a reason for everything I had been through in my life.

            Along the way I would also meet people that would come in and out of my life. But I soon realized that the people that stick around are the ones that really matter. They would teach me that my disability is not a disease or something that I asked for but it would be something that I could overcome with the help of others. To them I say thank you so much for everything you’ve taught me.

            I am now in the process of finishing my Masters in Instructional Technology, from Central Connecticut State University. I work with amazing professors who teach me that no matter the obstacles I must overcome I will achieve something great. I have one year left and as part of my capstone for this degree, I want to create a blog, that I cannot only teach people about myself but also help others along the way. I hope that you can give me some feedback that will help others with disabilities and join me along the journey of my life.

I will meet some amazing people that will take me on the best journeys of my life. I hope you stick around for the ride. Thank you so much,

Sara