This account of living with disability highlights this month’s focus on respecting life. Sarah is in Year 4 at St Patrick’s Kilbirnie and her story tells of a danger many people with disability face, that of being known only for their condition rather than as people who live with a disability:
“My condition is called cerebral palsy. My kind of cerebral palsy is in my legs – that is why I can’t walk very well. I use crutches and a walker and a wheel chair. They help me get around places.
“Sometimes it’s hard having cerebral palsy because I have to have appointments and I miss out on my learning and that’s not fair for me. I have injections of Botox in my legs. The Botox hurts so they have to put me to sleep with gas. I used to have Botox every six months and now I don’t need it anymore because I can walk.
“I can go swimming and walk to my Nana and Granddad’s house and to the mail box. I can ride a bike, I can play music, I can get a drink by myself and I can dress myself. I can’t walk long distances and there are some exercises I can’t do. I can do the stretch exercises that my physiotherapist gives me. I can draw and I can do most things that people without cerebral palsy do. You can help me by waiting for me at the door and by helping me up and down the stairs.”
- Image: Margaret Online