The end of March will mark my 33rd birthday. I can easily say I did not see myself getting this far. Yes, I have what doctors have colloquially labeled “double depression” (at the time I shouted “deuces,” but they weren’t amused), but this isn’t what I’m talking about. I quite literally did not see myself getting this far in my life. I didn’t see myself in the future, simply existing. I saw the goals I was supposed to meet, the career I was supposed to have, but as far as just existing—there was nothing I could envision.
Anyone who knew me when I was growing up will tell you that I had my sights on becoming a lawyer. As a kid, I would tell anyone within earshot all about the college tours I snuck onto when we lived in the city and the law I was going to practice. They would describe me as argumentative and eager to stand my ground on any issue, but realistically, I am correct and allowed to say so—firmly. Outwardly, I had all of the confidence of a child who knew of what was before her and the good sense to work towards them without complaint, or adopting a “disabled mindset.”
Read more at: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/black-women-cerebral-palsy-disability
