There are stories we are handed at birth, and then there are stories we write ourselves.
This is mine.
The First 48 Hours
As someone with a disability, my life began with doubt.
People told my parents I would never amount to anything.
Some said I might not make it past the first forty-eight hours.
Those words were meant to be limits.
But instead, they became fuel.
I didn’t just make it past those first hours—
I made it into days, into years, and into a life no one expected.
I learned early that survival wasn’t guaranteed,
but fighting for myself would always be part of my story.
Learning to Live, Not Just Survive
There were many moments when I didn’t think I would make it.
Times when the world felt heavy and lonely.
Seasons when I convinced myself that love, marriage, and partnership weren’t meant for people like me.
I told myself I didn’t want those things—
but deep down, I did.
I wanted the kind of life I saw everyone else living so easily.
Because of that longing, I began to rush life.
I tried to force things that weren’t ready.
I pushed myself forward without taking time to breathe or grow.
I didn’t give life a chance to meet me halfway.
But everything changed when I finally slowed down.
When I stopped chasing and allowed life to unfold naturally.
In that stillness, I stumbled into something unexpected—
something softer, steadier, and more beautiful than anything I had tried to force.
I stumbled into my life.
The Life I Never Expected
Today, I live the kind of life I once believed was impossible.
I have my own home—
not alone, but independently supported by family, friends, and a few amazing PCAs who help with my day-to-day needs.
I built a life that works for who I am and what I need.
And then, the most unexpected part of all:
I found my person.
Someone I can call mine.
Someone who loves me as I am,
who understands my challenges without me needing to explain,
who doesn’t see my disability as a barrier to love.
We dream of living together.
We dream of marriage.
We dream of a shared life.
But government assistance makes those dreams harder for people like us.
Love comes easily—
the system does not.
Still, like everything else in my life, I adapt.
I adjust.
I figure things out.
Because I’ve always been a square peg in a round hole.
And when something doesn’t work for me,
I make it work.
It’s how I survived.
It’s how I grew.
It’s how I became the woman I am today.
What My Life Feels Like Now
Some days feel like sunrise—
a soft, warm light touching places I once believed were out of reach.
Some days feel like walking a new path,
one that no one else has walked,
leaving footprints that whisper,
“Yes. A life like this is possible.”
And some days feel like holding the hand of someone who chose me,
realizing love didn’t skip over my life—
it simply took its time.
Becoming More Than Expected
I wasn’t supposed to make it past 48 hours.
Yet here I am—
living, loving, growing, building a life of my own.
I made something of myself.
Not because the world made space for me,
but because I created my own space when none existed.
The life I once feared I would never have
found me in the quiet moments,
in the slow breaths,
in the unexpected turns.
I didn’t just survive.
I became, and I won
OUR BEAUTIFUL CHALLENGES 