WORLD/ Cerabral Palsy

I was recently watching the news when a documentary on
Miss Iowa 2008 came on. If you haven't heard of her, she
has cerebral palsy, and is the first contestant to be in the
TOP 50 for Miss America with a disability. Abbey Curran is
young, strong, beautiful, talented and is a big inspiration to
me and my family. The fact is that my finance has cerebral
palsy too, and he inspires me every day through his combat
of discrimination, his intelligence and his love. In this post I
thought I might introduce you to the life of cerebral palsy and
what my life is like living with someone with the condition.



And here is the rest of it.

My boyfriend, Paul, has had cerebral palsy since birth, so growing up with it, he doesn't see life any other way. He can drive (heck, I cant even drive), he is smart and actually works in the IT industry (computers), he has been to university and lived in many cool and exciting places. Most of all, he is the love of my life and an inspiration to me in every single way. I have been told by my family that they find him inspiring too.

There are two types of Cerebral Palsy. Paul has a bit more trouble controlling his muscles, so sometimes I might get a bump, but i find it hilarious and have grown to love it. Paul can read, talk, cuddle, bathe and do mainly anything your average person can do. The only thing he can't do is write, so that is where the computer comes in handy.

As you walk down the road you do get the odd stare. I think people need to be more educated when it comes to treating people with disabilities, just like any other person. Who knows, someone with a disability might be smarter than you! ;) But eventually you just learn to ignore the stares of others, and keep going your way. Another problem we've run into is ignorant security guards, who regard Paul as drunk - it's like "no mate, I have a disability". One day this world will be educated.

Having a disability isn't always easy, it takes more concentration to compose the most basic of tasks, such as putting sugar in your coffee. Walking up an uneven hill leads to the problem of balance and stepping, but with a little help and positive thoughts, there is no doubt you can do anything in the end.

Another problem that comes with having a disability is that of your emotions and self worth. We grow up in a society that tells us what is right and what is wrong, so if you are in the wrong section, are you just supposed to crawl into a ball and hide? No! Not if you are like Paul. You could go to some great confidence building courses, surround yourself with friends who love you and most of all discover who you are and what you like and love.



One night at a club I saw Paul, and my eyes were instantly drawn to this magnificent boy sitting on the couch, smiling quietly. I am a bit 'rambunctious' and immediately fell in love with this enigma. He bought me a drink and dropped me home (no, no naughty stuff afterwards).

The thing I would most like to get people to understand is that a disability, such as cerebral palsy, does not make you any less smart than other people. People will often speak slower to Paul, or not know what sorts of things he will understand, but Paul is probably the smartest person I know, so it is quite funny to see people treat him like he is from another world, and like he can't understand a single thing. I believe that as more people become educated about cerebral palsy they will hopefully understand people with this condition are just as smart, funny and ambitious as the rest of the world.

In my first few days with Paul, I still didn't know what he was totally capable of. He drove, he made good money, and slowly I found out he was capable of teaching me lessons in life that I had not yet grasped. I discovered that he was my soul mate. Things like coordination problems, that I may have first noticed, I find I don't notice at all now. As Paul says, 'I'm just a regular guy'. But he is my soul mate, the love of my life and my dream come true. I hope he one day writes a book to inspire the rest of the world, as he has so much knowledge to share.

Here is a little bit more of a summary...



What is Cerebral Palsy: Cerebral palsy means 'brain paralysis'. It is a disability that affects movement and body position

How do you get it, is it hereditary? : No it is not hereditary. It comes from brain damage that happened before the baby was born, at birth, or as a baby

Types of cerebral palsy: There are two types, although it can be different in every child. There is either stiffness of the muscles or looseness of the muscles

Is there a cure?: Not at the moment, but there are a lot of physical therapies that can be used to make the persons life easier


Did you know 1: Actor Colin Farrell's son has cerebral palsy, as does David Cameron who is in British politics, and Laura San Giacomo who is an actress (she was the main actress in the sitcom 'Just Shoot Me')


Did you know 2: Botox was actually invented to inject into the muscles of people with cerebral palsy in order to improve movement, particularly in the arms.

p.s. Pauly and I