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Overcoming my Disability
I am writing my junior paper on overcoming my disability. The reason I chose this topic
is because when I was born I was born premature and I only weighed 2 pounds and my
body was in bad condition, and now my mom can’t have any more children because she
didn’t take good care of me. And when I got older the doctors told me that I would never
learn how to do this or that. The type of disability I have is called Cerebral Palsy and
cerebral palsy is “group of neurological disorders that affect the part of the brain
controlling body movement and muscle coordination. It is caused from injury to the brain
during fetal development or infancy, and may occur as a result of injury during the
birthing process”( mynchen) I have overcame that part where it talks about affecting the
brain when I was in elementary school I was in ESL classes until 6th grade of middle
school and people would pick on me for not being in a regular class so I begin to
improve and I was able to be put it to regular classes just like everybody else. That didn’t
just happen by it self I had to be determined to work hard and I did. The first thing I think
you should know is what are the early signs of cerebral palsy “Babies with cerebral palsy
are frequently slow to reach developmental milestones, such as learning to roll over, sit,
crawl, smile, or walk. This is sometimes called developmental delay”. You can say I was
in the developmental delay position because when I was five years old I was not walking
like most five year olds are suppose to be so that was a sign to my mom that something
was wrong with me. So when she took me to the doctor they said I had Cerebral Palsy.
The next thing I won’t to tell you about cerebral palsy is the different types of surgeries.
“Surgery is often recommended when contractures are severe enough to cause movement
problems. In the operating room, surgeons can lengthen muscles and tendons that are

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proportionately too short. First, however, they must determine the exact muscles at fault,
since lengthening the wrong muscle could make the problem worse.”(mychen) 1. Type of
surgery is Orthopedic Surgery for Cerebral Palsy. Orthopedic surgery is used to treat tight
muscles.(children.webmd.com) why is it done – to treat promblems from cerebral palsy
and it depends on which muscle groups are affected.(children.webmd.com)I got to an
orthopedic clinic in Durham every year to get check up’s on my legs to see how I’m
doing. What to expect after surgery- “joints that were previously stiff can move more
easily. However the affected muscle may be weak.”( children.webmd.com) another type
of surgery is called selective Dorsal Rhizotomy it is the most common nerve surgery for
symptoms related to cerebral palsy during Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy a surgeon cuts the
skin over the lower part of the spinal cord”( stlouischildrens) I had to have back surgery
in order to even walk when I was 5 years old, and I was not able to lay on my back for
3-4 weeks can you imagine laying on your stomach for that long and not being able to lay
on your back but god carried me through it. I even had surgery on my Achilles tendon
and they took my Achilles tendon and stretched my muscles and tied them back together.
It worked for a while I was walking normal but eventually my leg would go back to the
way it was before I had the surgery; my doctor told us that I would never be able to walk
normal. Another type of surgery people with cerebral palsy may have is “Stereotaxic
thalamotomy involves precise cutting of parts of the thalamus, which serves as the brain's
relay station for messages from the muscles and sensory organs. This has been shown
effective only for reducing hemiparetic tremors” (mychen). So if you know someone with
cerebral palsy should try to understand what he or she goes through each and every day,
because it’s not easy especially if you have to go through it by yourself it can be very

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difficult when you is the only one in your neighborhood with a disability, people tried to
take advantage of me because of my disability and I didn’t like it so I had to learn how to
stand up for myself and once I did people started respecting me more, and the more
confidence I had the more people kept on accepting me for who I was so as you can see I
had to put in some work that just didn’t happen by itself . Cerebral palsy can be managed
in different ways. “Cerebral palsy can not be cured, but treatment can often improve a
child's capabilities. There is no standard therapy that works for all patients. Instead, the
doctor must work with a team of health care professionals, first to identify a child's
unique needs and impairments, and then to create an individual treatment plan that
addresses these types of situations (mychen) Another way cerebral palsy is managed is by
“A doctor, such as a pediatrician, a pediatric neurologist, or a pediatric psychiatrist,
trained to help developmentally disabled children. This doctor, often the leader of the
treatment team, works to synthesis the professional advice of all team members into a
comprehensive treatment plan, implements treatments, and the following patient’s
progress over a number of years” (mychen).Dr. Ronald Spier works at my high school
and he’s worked with a student that has Cerebral Palsy and I interviewed Dr. Spier and
asked him some questions and this is what he said.1. I asked how Geraldo doing with his
disability and Dr. Speire said Geraldo is doing an excellent job adapting to school based
on his disability. 2. What are some challenges for Geraldo and Dr.Speier said one of the
main challenges for Geraldo is getting from the first floor to the second floor to change
classes. Sometimes the elevator is not working at all or not working properly. At that
point he has to have assistance carrying his walker while he climbs up or down the stairs.
Of course, there are classes that have to be adapted to his abilities, specifically,

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participation in physical education. Since he prefers to be very independent, he has
adapted very well. 3. What are his weaknesses and Dr. Speier said since he likes to be
independent, he does not often ask for help from people who are here to help students.
This may limit his participation student programs and activities. 4. What inspires you the
most about Geraldo and Dr. Speier said since I have known him for several years, I am
inspired by his ability to adapt to any situation. I have worked with him during the times
when he had his operation’s, and he has always responded very positively when some
people would quit. He is an inspiration to all students and teachers. 5. What have you
learned from helping Geraldo and Dr. Speier said I have learned patience. He is very
patient and I am impressed with this characteristic.so as you can see through my
interview with Dr. Speier anybody can overcome their disability if they want to it may
just be in different ways but you can overcome it. “Philip Denison is a six year old boy
with cerebral palsy his co-ordination is improving and all the stretching and repetitive
motions are helping his weakened muscles. He tries a lot more things and he has a lot
more confidence said his mother Donna Denison”(Ncwiseowl) Now that you heard some
of the negative things I had to go through with cerebral palsy lets look at the positive
things I have been able to do. 1. I have been able to join NJROTC witch is a military
class that they offer at my high school, and by me doing ROTC I can now run 3miles and
it has helped me strengthen my physical area in many different ways, I excelled very will
in that class and I been it that program since my freshmen year 2. I had the privilege to go
to Canada with my church to help feed the homeless. We did a lot of painting and
working on house so that people who don’t have a place to stay can have somewhere to
stay and we stayed in Canada for a week. 3. I also had the privilege to speak in front of

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hundreds of people and share some leadership speeches that I’ve wrote and try to teach
them to become better leaders. I also told them how I overcame my disability. So I have
been very blessed to overcome my disability, and I have god to thank for it.