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Cerebral PalsyI have moderate/severe Cerebral Palsy spastic diplegia, a disability which mainly affects my walking  | Walk different.
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but has effects all over my body. It doesn't greatly affect my life, in fact my old web page didn't mention it because it didn't even cross my mind. I guess it's hard to notice something I've had all my life - I don't know any different. I can walk, talk, type, and do most other things that everyone else can do. I can't straighten my left leg, so I walk a bit strangely (well, probably very strangely... but I don't usually see myself walking so I probably don't realise how bad it is - which is probably a good thing!) According to the doctors I only have 50% use of my hands, so I write more slowly than other people. That's quite good as far as I'm concerned, because it means I got a free laptop computer to do my schoolwork on. I've had several operations on my feet and knee, and a few broken bones (stress fractures, caused by the way I walk) so I've had a lot of experience of hospitals. I actually walked around on a broken kneecap for about 6 months before it was diagnosed... apparently I have diminished feeling in my legs.
I also have a strange-looking brain, which I'm told isn't due to the Cerebral Palsy. It's smaller than most brains, has fewer wrinkles and more liquid, but at least it works well intellectually. I like to think of it as a prototype. You can see pictures from a CAT scan of my brain here.
I'm not particularly interested in corresponding with other people with my disability - it's not something I spend a lot of time thinking about. But if there are any parents out there with a child with cerebral palsy who have questions or worries, I'd be glad to share my experience if it helps.This page has been accessed  times since 2024-05-06 00:34:21 Last updated: 2007-08-31 11:36:18
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