Category: CEREBRAL PALSY
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Making Peace With My Journey
Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie There are moments in life when making peace with your journey feels harder than facing the journey itself. For me, one of the biggest struggles has been learning how to see myself beyond my disability. If I’m being honest, I have always known that I am more than my cerebral…
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The Women I Become
Identity & Growth Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie Sometimes I stop and think about the person I have become. Not the person other people see. Not the person people assume I am because of my disability. But the person I know myself to be. And honestly, I am grateful for her. I am a woman…
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The Strength I Find in Everyday Moments
Identity & Personal Growth Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie When people think about strength, they often picture big moments. They picture overcoming major obstacles, achieving huge goals, or surviving life’s biggest challenges. But living with cerebral palsy has taught me something different. Real strength is often found in the everyday moments. The moments nobody sees.…
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The More stressed I Am, The Harder My CP Becomes.
Health & Wellness,Living with Cerebral Palsy Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P One thing people may not realize about living with cerebral palsy is that stress doesn’t just affect me emotionally. It affects me physically too. The more stressed I become, the harder my cerebral palsy becomes to manage. Stress can make my body tighter.…
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Laws Changed, But People Didn’t Always Change
Disability & Advocacy,Disability Rights History Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. When I was younger, my parents had to fight for me and everything I needed so I could be part of public school, part of the community, and part of the world around me. They did a wonderful job with so many things. What…
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Learning to Adapt Without Giving Up
Identity & Personal Growth,Living with Cerebral Palsy Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie One thing living with cerebral palsy has taught meis that life can change at a moment’s notice. You can wake up with plans for the day.You can organize everything perfectly.You can mentally prepare yourself for what needs to get done. And then your…
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Keeping Myself Above Water
Health & Wellness,Identity & Personal Growth Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie For the most part, I’m happy with who I am as a person living with a disability. Still, every now and then, I do get in a mood where I feel like people don’t always see how much of a struggle it can be…
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The Mental Toolbox
Health & Wellness,Mindfulness & Personal Growth Our Beautiful ChallengesBy Marie W.O.W.C.P. Lately, I have felt a little off in life. Not necessarily lost— but disconnected from myself. I think sometimes life becomes so loud,so emotionally heavy,that we forget how important it is to center ourselves again. For me,centering myself is not always hard to do.…
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Menopause, Cerebral Palsy, and the Challenges of Healthy Eating
Health & Wellness,Women’s Health & Aging Our Beautiful ChallengesBy Marie W.O.W.C.P. There is something I have been thinking about a lot lately as I move closer to menopause. Everywhere you look, people talk about what women should eat during this stage of life. More protein.More calcium.More vegetables.More fresh foods.Less sugar.Less processed food. And while I…
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The Peace I Found Within Myself
Identity & Personal Growth, Gratitude & Reflection Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. There was a time when the only peace I could find was through loud music in my ears. Music helped me breathe. It gave me somewhere to go when my thoughts felt too loud.It helped me escape the frustration I felt inside…
