I realised recently that I don’t talk about my disability very openly and honestly here, beyond a few passing comments. I think in a weird way, I’ve been scared to, because I often find it difficult to talk about how it affects my life day to day without dwelling on frustrations and negativity, and I’ve always said I never want my disability to define my life or how people perceive me. I often wondered if people would want to read it, or wether they’d think I was oversharing, because my disability impacts my life in some pretty intimate ways.

That being said, I’ve also realised that my disability is a part of my life that should be embraced because if I can get to a point where I’m ok and confident to talk about it, it might help others and raise awareness, and that can only be a positive thing!

So, here’s me – trying to embrace, be confident and be ok. It might bore some of you who are here for the theatre and book talk, and I promise that will continue. But I really hope you’ll stick around – maybe even find it interesting, eye opening and want to help make a change…

When I was born, I was three months premature and weighed two pounds, eventually diagnosed with a condition called Cerebral Palsy. Simply put, this means that parts of my brain, specifically those that control movement, posture and balance, are damaged. The condition isn’t degenerative, so won’t worsen over time, and how it manifests itself can vary from one person to the next. For me personally: I have problems with my fine motor skills, co-ordination and stupidly sensitive reflexes, so I startle very easily, especially at loud or sudden noises, and it’s even worse when I’m trying not to jump! I need help with most things able bodied people probably take for granted: washing & dressing myself, food and drink prep, and a host of other things. It also means I’m unable to walk, so am confined to my wheelchair the majority of the time, leaving me with all kinds of aches and pains!

Life with a disability can be incredibly frustrating and limiting, and I’ve noticed this more as I’ve got older. But I’ve never known any different, and so you just make the best of what you have to deal with. In this new section of my blog, I want to give you a little insight into life on four wheels!