Disability Pride Series

Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie

For much of my life, I believed my disability was something that needed to be fixed.

Not because my parents ever made me feel that way.

Not because the people who loved me believed I was broken.

But because the world often acted as if I would only belong if I became more like everyone else.

Growing up, I spent years in physical therapy.

I had surgeries.

Exercises.

Doctor appointments.

Each one had a purpose.

They helped me become stronger, healthier, and more independent.

But none of them were about changing who I was.

They were about helping me live the life I wanted to live.

There is a big difference between improving someone’s quality of life and believing they need to be fixed.

For years, society often confused the two.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized something important.

My cerebral palsy is not a mistake.

It is not a punishment.

It is not something that makes me less valuable.

It is simply one part of who I am.

Would I choose to live without pain?

Of course.

Would I choose for the world to be more accessible?

Absolutely.

But I would never want to erase the person my experiences have shaped me into.

My disability has taught me resilience.

Patience.

Creativity.

Compassion.

It has introduced me to incredible people and given me a purpose I never expected.

I don’t need people to fix me.

I need them to understand me.

I need opportunities instead of assumptions.

I need inclusion instead of pity.

Disability Pride Month reminds me that I was never meant to fit someone else’s definition of perfect.

I was meant to become the best version of myself.

And that is exactly who I continue to become.

I wasn’t meant to be fixed.

I was meant to be seen.