Chelsea Bear

Today is World Cerebral Palsy Day.

“World Cerebral Palsy Day is a movement of people with Cerebral Palsy and their families, and the organizations that support them, in more than 75 countries. Their vision is to ensure that children and adults with Cerebral Palsy (CP) have the same rights, access and opportunities as anyone else in our society. It is only together, that we can make that happen.” – https://worldcpday.org/about-us/

Therefore, today I felt compelled to share something vulnerable to help bring awareness around my disability: Cerebral Palsy.

The beauty of social media is that people only see what you want them to see. As I publicly share my experiences of living with CP, I know that in order to help my followers understand my disability, I need to incorporate video. Because frankly, a picture of me sitting on my scooter – while an accurate part of my life – does not portray my day to day to people who don’t know me in person, since I rely on my ability to walk more than I use a scooter.

So here it is, a video of myself walking. That form and pivot tho 😉. Haha, but seriously I’d lie if I said I don’t cringe when I catch a glimpse of myself walking when I pass by my reflection, but I know that is just part of my journey of learning to accept myself and my disability for all that it is. In my head, I know I walk “differently,” but seeing it from the outside looking in is a completely different experience for me. In my head, I feel like I have full control (and most of the time I do) but when I see myself walking I understand how/why others look at me as if I’m a bull in a china shop that’s a permanent fall-risk. That’s probably one of the biggest pills to swallow with this whole thing, because I consistently strive to make sure no one feels uncomfortable with my disability, but some things are just inevitable.

During this reflection, I have to reiterate that I am extremely grateful for the option to be independent and that I have the ability to walk – even if it’s a little different  Because I know there are thousands of people who aren’t as lucky as me.

It’s all a growing experience as I continue on this journey, and I honestly am so excited to continue to strengthen both my physical and mental state by committing to exercise while voicing my life story.