I Have Cerebral Palsy
You're probably familiar with the myth surrounding Achilles: According to Greek legend, his mother held him by the left heel when she dipped him in the River Styx. This led to physical invulnerability overall - his left heel notwithstanding. So naturally, his death was mainly attributed to a fatal wound delivered by an arrow aimed at that heel.
Modern use of the "Achilles heel" phrase often refers to an individual's personal weaknesses or vulnerabilities (often unknown or unnoticed by others). I use this as a metaphor for my own experience with cerebral palsy. I too am affected by mild left-side hemiparesis - courtesy of an injury to the right hemisphere of my cerebral cortex. Because my physical limitations are indeed minimal, and thanks to years of then-dreaded OT/PT, it is difficult to discern anything out-of-the-ordinary: my gait is usually focused, and I have learned to enunciate clearly.
So, you might ask, what seems to be my issue? Shouldn't I be grateful that I am fortunate enough to have only been impaired to this [relatively minor] degree?! To all of you Good Samaritans out there - your intentions and well-meaning words of advice don't ameliorate the subtle, yet constant, challenges I face; nor do they soothe the dull, wrenching ache of self-doubt about my capacity to be a fully functional, prototypical human being.
Though it may not be evident in my self-indulgent rambling above, I actually have a good degree of empathy - and am able to identify with many of the experiences and perceptions that I have read thus far.
Modern use of the "Achilles heel" phrase often refers to an individual's personal weaknesses or vulnerabilities (often unknown or unnoticed by others). I use this as a metaphor for my own experience with cerebral palsy. I too am affected by mild left-side hemiparesis - courtesy of an injury to the right hemisphere of my cerebral cortex. Because my physical limitations are indeed minimal, and thanks to years of then-dreaded OT/PT, it is difficult to discern anything out-of-the-ordinary: my gait is usually focused, and I have learned to enunciate clearly.
So, you might ask, what seems to be my issue? Shouldn't I be grateful that I am fortunate enough to have only been impaired to this [relatively minor] degree?! To all of you Good Samaritans out there - your intentions and well-meaning words of advice don't ameliorate the subtle, yet constant, challenges I face; nor do they soothe the dull, wrenching ache of self-doubt about my capacity to be a fully functional, prototypical human being.
Though it may not be evident in my self-indulgent rambling above, I actually have a good degree of empathy - and am able to identify with many of the experiences and perceptions that I have read thus far.
By:
MidoriS0ur
Age:
36-40
,
Female
