IN LIFE, EVERYONE SHOULD THINK OF THEMSELVES AS BEING UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT. NO MATTER WHAT YOU’RE LIKE OR WHERE YOU COME FROM, YOU CAN HAVE A GOOD LIFE.

I WAS BORN IN OHIO ALMOST 25 YEARS AGO.  BECAUSE I WAS BORN PREMATURELY, i HAVE SOME DISABILITIES. THIS SHOULD NOT SCARE PEOPLE, THOUGH. FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT IN THEIR OWN WAY. BUT AS MUPPETS CREATOR, JIM HANSEN  SAID, “IF YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT YOUDO AND WORK HARD AT IT, THERE ISN’T ANYTHING YOU CAN’T DO IF YOU WANT TO.”

MY MAIN DISABILITY IS CEREBRAL PALSY. IT AFFECTS TWO PARTs OF MY BRAIN: ONE: THAT CONTROLS HOW I MOVE, AND ONE THAT CONTROLS HOW I LEARN AND THINK. i HAVE WORKED HARD MY WHOLE LIFE TO DEAL WITH MY CEREBRAL PALSY. SOME ACTIVITIES THAT I AM  GOOD AT ARE SINGING IN A CHOIR,  MAKING NEW FRIENDS, LEARNING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, AND DISCOVERING NEW HOBBIES, LIKE ANIMATION. SOME ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HARD FOR ME ARE RUNNING, WALKING AND READING CERTAIN BOOKS. MY MUSCLES WORK DIFFERENTLY THAN MOST PEOPLE’S AND I GET TIRED EASILY. LIFE IS COMPLICATED!

OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE LEARNED TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO ACCOMPLISH MANY GOALS. I GOT MY FIRST MOTORIZED WHEELCHAIR WHEN I WAS JUST THREE YEARS OLD. LIKE A CAR, I CAN DRIVE IT FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER. I USE A JOYSTICK TO CONTROL THE SPEED AND DIRECTION. THIS MAKES ME FEEL CONFIDENT AND INDEPENDENT BECAUSE I DECIDE WHERE I WANT TO GO AND WHEN. I ALSO USE TECHNOLOGY TOREAD BOOKS AND OTHER THINGS. THE SOFTWARE IS CALLED KURZWEIL 3000 AND BOOKSHARE. MY COMPUTER IS A BIG PART OF MY LIFE.

TRAVELING IS SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY, EVEN THOUGH IT IS SOMETIMES HARD WITH MY WHEELCHAIR. MY FAMILY AND PARENTS REALLY HELP WITH THIS, THOUGH. TOGETHER, WE BRAINSTORM IDEAS ABOUT WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO THERE. WE HAVE VISITED MANY FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND ALSO ATTENDED SPORTS GAMES AND ENTERTAINING EVENTS. IT’S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO FIND OUT AHEAD OF TIME IF THINGS WILL BE ACCESSIBLE. TRAVELING IS ADVENTUROUS  Traveling AND FUN, REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU ARE.

BASEBALL IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE ACTIVITIES. BECAUSE OF MY CEREBRAL PALSY, I CAN’T PLAY IT; HOWEVER, I AM A BIG FAN! IN 2020, I HAD SOME OPERATIONS IN NEW YORK CITY. LOOKING BACK ON IT, IT WAS A DIFFICULT PERIOD IN MY LIFE, HOWEVER, BASEBALL KEPT ME HAPPY. DURING MY RECOVERY, I FOLLOWED MOST OF THE YANKEES GAMES, KNEW ALL OF THE PLAYERS NAMES, POSITIONS AND HISTORY, AND BECAME A HUGE FAN. ONE OF MY DOCTORS WHO WORKS FOR THE NEW YORK YANKEES GAVE ME TICKETS TO A PLAYOFF GAME IN THE HOUSE THAT JETER BUILT. I HAD A GREAT TIME AND HAVE CONTINUED TO GO TO MANY GAMES THERE WITH MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY. I ADMIRE THE SPORT a lot.

ANOTHER ONE OF MY PASSIONS IN LIFE IS MUSIC. I HAVE LOVED ALL DIFFERENT GENRES SINCE I WAS A YOUNG CHILD. THE DIGITAL STREAMING SERVICE SPOTIFY HAS OPENED MY MIND TO MORE CURRENT MUSIC, AS WELL AS THE SONGS MY PARENTS PLAYED FOR ME WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. LIKE MY ENTHUSIASM FOR ANIMATION, I WAS EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT KINDS OF MUSIC AT AN EARLY AGE SOME OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITE GENRES INCLUDE JAZZ,  ROCK AND ROLL AND CLASSICAL. I HAVE CRETED HUNDREDS OF PLAYLISTS ON SPOTIFY! FOR AWHILE, I EVEN WROTE A BLOG ABOUT MUSIC. THIS WAS ENGAGING IN AN INFORMATIVE WAY, BUT I AM TOO BUSY NOW TO KEEP IT UP.

WHAT AM I BUSY DOING? WELL, I AM living IN NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, IN MY OWN APARTMEnt. I MOVED OUT OF MY PARENTS’ HOUSE ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO! THIS FELT weird AT FIRST, BUT NOW I am used to it. WHILE I LOVE MY PARENTS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN WAY IN LIFE. AT CHAPEL HAVEN, WHERE I LIVE, I GET TO DECIDE MY OWN SCHEDULE, PICK MY FRIENDS, CHOOSE HOW I WANT TO SPEND MY TIME, AND PREPARE FOR A JOB. i HAVE A GREAT TIME AND i ALSO WORK HARD. i HAVE WONDERFUL CAREGIVERS WHO HELP ME EACH DAY. WE ARE A STRONG TEAM.

IN THE FUTURE, I PLAN TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN EVERY WAY I CAN. I WILL DO THIS BY BEING A LEADER, LEARNING ABOUT NEW THINGS, TRYING MY BEST AND STAYING POSITIVE. i MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PEOPLE, BUT I AM ALSO THE SAME IN MANY WAYS. I SEE MYSELF AS BEING UNIQUE AND I ENJOY IT!