Growing up with Cerebral Palsy

Thanks all, good film. I thought the film depicted the life of a severely disabled adult well. Obviously being mainstream film it didn't go into the real nitty gritty but it was well balanced, showing coping with a severe disability or a severely disabled companion has its hardships.

For me, growing up with Cerebral Palsy I became used to struggling with things that require speed and motor skills like cooking, sports and reading subtitles on foreign films. Throughout these 29 years in this somewhat malfunctioning body I have learnt if fitting in is a struggle so why not stand out and have fun?

My early years were spent in mainstream education so yeah blending in didn't happen. That was the far away 90s when Oasis were fairly good and few people knew about Cerebral Palsy. Even the Special Needs coordinator once asked my parents what is Cerebral Palsy.

After that my secondary years were spent at a specialist school, from one of the least functioning students I was now one of the most, and sometimes timid to ask for help, although plenty on hand, in case I take it away from someone more in need. Fierce independence was learnt, with the help of a few therapists and bizarre gadgets I found myself able to do things I never thought I could. I was soon given a contraption, which was nothing more than half a piece of reinforced drain-pipe on strings. What could this be for, you ask. I give up, sock it to me, you say. Exactly! It was for putting my socks on. I’d shove this thing between my thighs (ladies, calm down!!), load my sock on it, shove my foot through it then voila! I was socked. 

Only that this thing was designed for the hands of frail old ladies, not the muscly spasmy thighs of a teenager with Cerebral Palsy. On numerous mornings staff would come running into my room after hearing a loud crack and a few choice words. Expecting the worst, staff would come running into my room to find several pieces of broken plastic between my thighs and a look of “Oops, I did it again!”, luckily no questions were asked!

After this happened five times the engineering department caught on and reproduced this device but with super reinforced plastic and I still have it today! I swear when Trump pushes that button it’ll be one of the only things left!

So much like the device I now stand before you, withered but reinforced and strong by a life of coping with Cerebral Palsy.