Sunday, January 8th, 2012 by Karen Lynn
Tags: Ingredients
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Monday, January 2nd, 2012 by Karen Lynn
Allergy Awareness
For years, every time I ate something with wheat, dairy, eggs, yeast, or gluten, my body would violently react. I would get black eyes, my stomach would blow up, and my nose would get terribly stuffy! I would feel miserable after suffering the severe consequence of a compromised immune system for decades.
Somehow I knew instinctively that I was different and something was terribly wrong. The human body was made to enjoy foods- not battle them-
But no one would believe me. Family members thought I was crazy! I even went to a young doctor in his thirties, who told me my body was suppose to blow up- That made absolutely no sense to me. I knew that, that was wrong advice- perhaps my Cerebral Palsy could be part of the cause. Perhaps it had something to do with the DPT shot given me at infantcy. I did not know for sure- or to what extent. But I was not going to give up! I kept searching for answers.
Through reading, I saw in black and white where it stated that sometimes the digestive system and swallowing could be affected in people with C.P. (Cerebral Palsy.) What about those who did not have Cerebral Palsy and those who have Celiac Disease?
Well, for the last 2 years, I have been on the road to recovery. I have eliminated all the foods I am allergic to, go for acupuncture, and, I work one-on-one with a naturopathic doctor that truly understands and cares- I have been searching out, baking, and trying new recipes.
Because I was asked to write a blog for all of you, I have agreed. Know that you are not alone anymore! You are in good company and there is someone else out there that truly understands what you are going through.
Stay tune. There’s more to come…
Tags: Food Issues
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 by Karen Lynn
When I was a little girl, there was not the assertive technology we have today. My mother, father, sister and I used paper and pen to write letters, cards, messages, notes and communication. We did not have the luxury that today’s generation takes for granted. It was very difficult to communicate across the world in a minute’s time. Nor, could I pop on the computer and connect with my dearest friend’s instantaneously.
When I was seven and eight years old, I remember banging away at my parents old Underwood typewriter. What a gas! It was a thrill! I would move our dining room chair over to the credenza, where it stood, take out a sheet of 8 by 11 typing paper, line it up perfectly with my right hand so I could insert it properly, and roll it to the beginning of the page. Somehow, this old machine gave me a gift. Who knew what was to come in decades because of this writing instrument. Look at the freedom it inflicted inside of me and so many others? Who knew that this typewriter would free many a minds? Who knew that it would allow people to defy all odds? But it did. It captivated, mesmerized and fascinated so many of us. That eventually it escalated to a whole different level. And look at the freedom it has brought!
This Underwood enticed me. It lured me. And it called me to attention by sitting at the keyboard hypnotized by the though of what I wanted to say just like Rosalyn Russell, in The Front Page, and, William Holden, in Sunset Boulevard.
At that precise moment, I was spell bound; I was taken in by the moment. I couldn’t do anything but let my thoughts pour out of me, filling my mind, my being, my fingers, and my veins, with a burning energy to write. Word by word, notion by notion, they began to flow. With each deep breath I would sit very still as the images and ideas came to mind; allowing them to simmer for a second. Oozing and trickling down through my fingertips, like a fresh pot of percolated coffee. While allowing my consciousness; to merge with my sub-consciousness as it revealed to me what I wanted to say. The words were there! The words flowed all the way down through the cover pads on the tips of my fingers; onto the keyboard like they were always there. Miraculous! I came up with something to say; speaking clearly in a voice expressing myself by pounding away at the keyboard. And I do mean pounding at the keys. This gal with a learning disability, who could not even write a clear constructed sentence, was typing. What a moment! Wow! What a significant moment to have these words, form a sentence, and come together for me.
And, even though I wasn\\\’t an Emily Post, I was compelled, constrained, and, duty-bound. I was captivated to type on this wonderful, old, antique machine and write something sensational. Something that would capture, engage, and catch people’s attention- something that would draw the reader in; something to stimulate their interest.
Thus, when I watched these old classic movies, they released a passion inside of me. They released a fervor, a zeal, and an enthusiasm which sparked my imagination. Since then, times have changed. Thankfully, now, in our day and age, I can send an email message around the world in just a few minutes time. I can connect, click, and wa la, my party is their in a flash. I can also connect through Yahoo, AOL, ICQ, or Windows live, and have a freedom I never experienced as a child. Instead of talking on the telephone, with a party-line, I can talk through typing. I can also sit back at my desk leisurely, talking through Skype with a video cam. Who would have thought… forty years ago?
It gives people with motor coordination issues a freedom I never had. A freedom to have a meaning and purpose, where otherwise might not be. A freedom to engage in conversation, and a freedom to make connection‘s with people their own age and contacts with those of same likes, dislikes, and interest in a moments time.
What my generation got through imagination and visual imagery, the past two generation have gotten in technology. This freedom would not exit today if we didn’t allow ourselves to dream and experiment and to defy all odds, as well as to be a team in leading technology. Messenger has taken us to a whole other level and has given many, thousands of people, otherwise confined to watching T.V. a voice and a new outreach in life.
Tags: writing
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Monday, October 25th, 2010 by Karen Lynn
Most of my life, unlike “normal” people, I have had to mend myself back to health numerous times. It was not only when I was an infant but throughout. Needless to say, it has been extremely difficult to convince medical authority I knew what I was talking about. If the tests on the medical report didn’t say it, then what I was saying didn’t prove a single thing. The only solution, even though the doctors won’t admit they are doping us up, all they want is to prescribe medication because they, themselves, didn’t know the answer, nor, did they know how to cure the symptoms and treat the whole person.
They themselves, with all the medical training and book learned advice, are more at a loss then they care to admit. If there isn’t a drug to push or a drug to subside the manifestations, then some kind of surgery, MRI, or Cat scan is forced, pressured, or urge upon us in an un-diplomatic way telling the patient … “how they CARE about the well being of your health.” But how about treating the WHOLE person!
Recently, I have been able to restore my pancreas back to health; when a licensed, Family, General practitioner; was ready to shoot me up with diabetic medicine when I wasn’t even diabetic. I knew imminently, what I needed to do for myself! No, doctor, was going to belittle me, or dictate how I should live. She was not going to induce drugs just for the sake of it. Nor, was she going to destroy my own confidence in myself. Neither was she going to deprecate my worth to build her own self up, by saying…”My way has not worked…”
This has been a long tradition throughout my entire life. When I was younger, doctors wanted to carve up my disabled hand and good leg like a turkey. If I allowed this, I would have two legs that were deformed and a hand that would be hanging by a string, useless, and worse than it is. If I hadn’t cared about myself to the degree which I do, and spoke up for myself fighting traditional medicine, I would be far worse off and sicker today, than I actually am.
Some how, some way; I have been blessed with a gift to know what is truly right for me, and my body. I some how always distinctively know when something is or is not right. Some how my body and being knows when something is not kosher. That is when a wave of feelings, my six sense, and my intuitiveness self takes over. I salute and stand up to attention with a perceived perception that makes me stop and think. That has kept me from listening to un-wise doctors, and medical disasters.
Whether disabled or not, doctors seem to over-step their boundaries. They seem to think that because we are disabled physically, we don’t know a thing. They seem to think that the “test” knows all. And, they seem to think that it is their job to control our lives and ruin our bodies. The medical profession, drunk on its own power, is unwilling to accept alterative medicine and healing not taught in a traditional setting, nor, are they willing to look at other attributes or classifications that bring comfort and true holistic healing to the person needing it.
And so, I am here to tell all of you; that this young woman has added forty years to her life. This woman’s gene pool was destined for hardening of the arteries, strokes, and diabetes. This woman; since the age of twenty, suffered needlessly; unknowing her pancreas could not and would not digest foods properly. Yet, yield and produced health and well-being. And, this lady, stood steadfast for all these years till she found the answer.
Tags: Medical Experiences
Posted in Living With a Physical Disability, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 by Karen Lynn
How many times have you honestly and earnestly shared your hopes and dreams with not only the people closest to you, but friends, collogues and those who claimed they could help; only to hear words that hamper you and held you back. How many times were you stifled? And, how many times were you and your abilities to move forward held back. Did you feel trapped, frustrated, and beside yourself? Did you wonder when your chance was going to pan out? But instead, you were no further along on the pathway to the life you wanted to lead.
Well, my dear friends, I am writing this article because I have spent a lifetime not listening to those “Pearls of Wisdom.”
Again and again in every aspect of my life, I have turn the other check and found a way to accomplish what every expert and even my beloved family thought was impossible. But I “dreamed the impossible dream, and fought the unbeatable foe.” There are many times in my own personal life when I can remember reaching out to my mother, asking for help to get an education at a time when disabled people, with learning disabilities were not getting degree’s at all, and hearing my mother say… “Why don’t you just accept yourself the way you are instead of forcing and fighting your learning disability to make the impossible happen. Upset, and even more determined, I kept walking through the storm. I kept forging forward even though I was told what I was told. I smiled, grinned and beard it, but was not going to let my mother’s words and her beliefs about me affect me or hamper my quest.
While I knew my mother was being very loving toward me, I also knew that I would not have a place in society, and at the table if I did not push forward and make every attempt and effort to make my life happen.
When I finally got my degree no one was happier than my mother and me. She was the only one who knew what I went threw day in and day out. She came up to me, wrapped her loving arms around me, and hugged and kissed me in the fashion I knew so well. Then, all of a sudden, I found her whispering in my ear… I’m sorry Kranalala” You don’t know, or maybe you do know what this meant to me. It made me radiate with happiness. It made me radiate from within out. And, it made me radiate with sheer joy and bliss because I had reached one of my first unreachable dreams. It was not just hearing my mother’s words of acceptance and love, but knowing that I listened to myself, my heart, and my drummer, and followed a long and arduous pursuit of mine, of which I had just accomplished.
On that day of mine, I learned one very important lesson. That lesson was to always follow your own heart and to stay true to your own dreams and what you know about yourself. People can say what ever they want. But, if you know the truth within yourself that’s what matters! No matter what is said, there are always ways one can still make things happen. You can set yourself free and you can set yourself apart from everything other people say and think about you. You can hold your head high, reaffirm the truth of your own self and own abilities, and walk past and through all obstacles. It is all up to you. It is in your own attitude and belief. Know one can take that away from you if you truly believe in yourself. It may not be the next day, week, month, or year that you get whatever you desire. But it will happen if you stay the course.
You don’t have to be mean, nasty, or get in people’s faces for giving there own opinion, but you can rise above, be eloquent and poised, and accomplish your goals with dignity in a timely, peaceful manor.
Tags: confidence
Posted in Living With a Physical Disability | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 by Karen Lynn
Often, the reality of our disabilities can lead to an increased instance of depression. Our physical scars may have heeled, but the physiological and sociological have not. Ninety-nine people out of one hundred and forty-four; according to a recent study linked their learning disabilities with depression and other depressive disorders. This is the result of a lack of flexibility in the education process. Students are often placed with those with emotional and behavior problems. Teachers are therefore, unable to give the time needed to each individual student because they must serve as baby-sitters to those who do not wish to participate in the learning process.
Yet, within each of us their remains a strong desire to discover “the secret.” This means, that, most people given patience, tolerance, and a relaxed environment can learn and succeed. This success will reinforce the positive aspects of each person’s life. Every achievement from traveling the world wide, to putting on a dinner is note worthy and valuable. The memory of past achievements can sometimes serve as a reminder in the depth of suffering that this current sadness will not last.
Many students can look back and remember that one parent, teacher, or friend who took the time to find it within themselves, to figure out just what that person needed to thrive, survive, and to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Often, just as much as the chemical imbalance, feelings of depression, and low self-esteem, come from a sense that a person is entirely alone. The awareness, that in fact, everyone wants an individual to in fact, succeed, can be very liberating. There is an old saying which demonstrates this idea. “Only if you have been in the deepest pit of sorrow, loss, and despair, can you ever know how magnificent it is to climb to the to of the highest mountain.”
Tags: Emotional Disorders
Posted in Living With a Physical Disability | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 by Karen Lynn
How many times in your life have you not been given credit for something you outstandingly accomplished? How many times were your efforts gone unnoticed? And, how many times did some body else take the credit for your hard work? This happens a lot to people with disabilities. Too often our work is seen as something to keep us busy and occupied, rather than something of meaning and purpose. Because people outside the disabled circle seem to believe that our lives don’t need the same kind of depth, acknowledgement, praise, or honor to express warm approval or admiration for the work we have done. We are given little recognition which is so deserved. Time and time again, our efforts, our ethics, and our labor get either brushed over or disregarded. Persons in high raking positions, who have no disabilities of there own, have a special way of usurping every opportunity that comes our way.
They seem to have a unique and inimitable way of allowing us to do the work for which they take full credit for. There are many deceitful examples. One time, in transition, while waiting for the verdict of my Civil Rights Case, I was working as an assistant recreation director. I went above and beyond, and took on responsibilities that normally would fall to my boss. But me being me, I took them on. Unfortunately, my efforts were not valued or taken seriously.
Once again, I was treated as though I was mentally retarded; and should go back to the workshops. It was thought and non-verbally expressed that I should do his work, while he received all the accolades. This idea was demonstrated in the general approach which was taken towards the management of our responsibilities within this care facility. I naturally grasped and took upon myself the many details in organizing care plans, putting on events, and teaching fitness classes; along with giving each client the respect, the dignity, the decorum, and care they unconditionally needed and deserved.
Most the time, my boss would show his face in the early part of the morning, disappear for eight hours, and reappear at the days end. Meanwhile, I had been progressing, and achieving and doing all his work. I put in long, grueling hours out of the goodness of my heart. I learned the ropes of the trade due to his negligence and unconcern. He was cold and hardened and looked out just for himself. He did not think of others around him and what his affects would be on them.
This man had the nerve to claim, “all I did was visit patience and make them happy…” His inaccurate, condescending and disdainful statements made me look as if I was incompetent of doing my job. He made me look as though I was incapable of holding my position or carrying out the duties at hand. He also damaged my reputation and caused me much strife.
Why is it that these people have to cause others such horrific and horrendous, pain? Why does our society promote one- manship of cruelty, instead of goodness? Why are there clicks where mean and cure things are said about others, and nasty act performed? And why are people so jealous of those who give there all? Are they threatened Of us? Tell me, please! Why does mankind turn on there own? Is it ego, or greed? Is it power because they have something missing within themselves? Is it revenge because of something that happened in childhood? Are they just outright mean and cruel and have to hurt those who try their hardest and give there all!
What happened to being happy for someone else, and working together for the common good of all? What happened to doing unto others as you would like done unto you? These irrefutable acts hurt the people who want to be included in society the most. While these people know how to sniff us out, and put us where they think we belong. They get off scott free for a while, but it always comes back.
It is the primary task of all of us who have a disability to demonstrate our own achievements in every aspect of our life. We need to show and teach the world by action and deed just how much we have to offer the world, and will accomplish. We need society to treat us seriously. We need society to get honest and stay honest. And, we need society to own up to the many narratives they have done to hold and keep us back. We need our country, and our members of government officially responsible to begin to recognize our untapped leaders in our own communities. It is far better for society if its leaders come from a people which have born “the heat of battle in the noon day sun.” Because you see, as a community, we have been tested and hardened by the struggle to survive. We have also understood the need to work interdependently for mutual benefits. These are the skills which our country requires of it leaders. So why not us, too! Why not then give us a voice and a say so in the leadership of the republic. Why keep us hidden in the shadows?
Tags: attitudes
Posted in Living With a Physical Disability | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 by Karen Lynn
Did you ever happen to wonder or think twice about the basic, essential facts and the fundamental truths of men and women with Cerebral Palsy? Have you ever raised the question within yourself about our feelings on romantic identities, and why it is that we as challenged individuals cannot be looked at equally, talked to on an equal basis, or understood completely? We are dismissed because our disability is thought to make us stupid. Do you think it is always us? This area of dissection, which is readily unspoken about, is most difficult for the largest part to swallow. It is hard to believe, to the average person’s eye; that there indeed are some very capable people out there with disabilities such as myself.
Unfortunately, people find it to dark an area to discuss, or talk about, let alone- cope with! It is all too easy to put on our rose color glasses and hide with a false comfort. In general, people and the world around us would rather ignore the matter at hand. They would rather turn away from the neediness and the desperateness that over-shadows disabled people’s true being. They would rather continue to believe the myths, and regard us as the “cute, innocent, naive children” forever living in this forgotten bubble, who have no desires at all!
This morose and morbid fascination with our capabilities, or to be more specific, our incapability’s in the romantic arena or lack there off is ignored. The fact that we may wish, or think of having an ordinary, healthy, friendship, or even a romantic relationship with another consenting, loving, caring, human being; much less get married, is just too disgusting, too revolting, and too sickening. It is too extreme, too challenging, and too confrontational. Moreover, it is very provocative and shocking to others and the norm.
For pretty much my entire life, I unyieldingly struggled with every bated breath I have taken. Not only was it for my own core essence and being to exist, but, it was in my chosen passion, which was of the arts… It was the desire to be able to express myself freely in a world of dance, music, and literature; which helped me to relinquish and release the bars that I wore on my leg and in my brain– also, because I did not want to be looked down upon as a typical helpless victim.
Thus, I did everything in my power to strive and thrive- I had wants, needs, and desires, and I wanted to be given the same equality and chance to express myself in the areas I loved and cherished most. I reasoned… that if other men and women of my age and generation could accomplish their goals and dreams- including having a boyfriend, then why couldn’t I! I could easily work on my inner-self- my strengths and weaknesses, to become the best person I could be. I felt that that was the healthiest way to approach my life. However, too often, others where quick to judge! Consequently time and time again I was put to the test- only to searched my soul, readjusted my thoughts, and daily re-committed myself to living that healthy “normal life,” in a society, which continued to tell me “I couldn’t!”
My self-worth came from the gentle, romantic way in which I cared for myself. It was the way that I dressed, the time that I took to primp and fuss, and the way I took that extra moment to look the very best that I could for each given situation. It was the way that I nourished my body, my mind, and the way I acted. It was the honest and pro-active, empowering way I conducted myself. It was the way I looked up to those eloquent people who were positive, happy and joyfully succeeding in life. I took the good, positive; things I liked, and let go of all the rest; as I continued to develop a sense of my own inner-being. I began to see how others were attracted to me. They began to look beyond my left side hemiplegia, Cerebral Palsy, and learning disability. They began to see me for me. Thus, I embraced myself and my life even more than I already had. My romantic sense came from all this innate wisdom, insight, willingness to change, and the knowledge I read.
Yes, I have been challenged, ridiculed, stood up on dates, however, disputed all the intense examinations, crewl remarks, I have risen despite the harshest of securitization. I have found a man who loves me for me, and I have happily been married, for twenty years now. Despite my physical challenges I was able to find a love, a partner, and a life of my own, despite what the world thought of me.
Tags: Relationships
Posted in Living With a Physical Disability, Published Articles | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 by Karen Lynn
Most of my articles, for the past two years, have focused in on emotions and feelings, advocacy, and, the daily struggle of living with Cerebral Palsy. My articles also have focused in on trying to maneuver amongst society, while maintaining self direction, and dignity.
For this month, I would like to focus in on a lighter issue. I would like to focus in on daily living skills. I would also like to focus in on left or right sided paralyses. From a very early age of 18 months old, I can remember my dear, sweet, Mama Katie teaching me to contribute to the house hold, even though I had the use of only one side of my body. I can vividly recall my mama calling out to me and asking me to help her clean. She would come into the living room, hand me a dust rag, and ask me in this wonderfully, sweet, New York accent to help Mama dust the legs on the coffee table. I was only 18 months old, and at that very, young, impressionable age, I can remember smiling and wanting to help. I can remember feeling good about doing what she asked of me, and, about myself.
Most people would not have believed that a child with a disability could do such a thing. But I did. Some how, deep in my mother’s progressive gut, she really, truly, understood something that the experts did not. Now a days, their is a lot of talk about progressive technology and voice activated equipment. However, you don’t hear much about anyone talking about left or right hemiplegia people, learning how to use there good side of their body’s to accomplish every day living tasks.
My mother some how instinctively knew that it would benefit the both of us if I could lead a normal life. This was unheard of during the time I grew up. Parents were taught that there was not much hope for their child, such as I. The fact that I learned these things at such a young age, that it was gentle, and non-treating, made me willing to help and learn. These skills would come in good use when I got a bit older. No one knew in my family what was yet to come. But the handy, useful, hands on approach, and teaching techniques of daily living skills, came in good use when my mother became a single parent, and at fourteen years old, I ran the house hold, while my mother worked and ran our business.
It felt good to know that my mother could lean on me. It felt even better to know that she did not have to worry about me or the house. I would get off the school bus, at about 4 O’ clock in the afternoon. I would put my books away, get my jeans and tee shirt on, and start in with the laundry. Oh how good it felt to know that I was helping my Mama. It felt nice to know that Mama could come home to a clean, spotless home with dinner waiting for her on the table.
It felt so good to know in my heart that I could be independent. That I could be trusted. And it built my self- confidence and self-worth. I felt useful. I felt like I was doing something constitutive, special, and, felt like I was conquering things in my life like everybody else without a disability.
Sometimes I think about all those many years ago, when my mother and I took on all the negative ideas about what a young girl with C.P. could and could not do. I hope the image of that girl will bring encouragement to you when you face something that seems hard. It might help you to remember that this was something that my mother and I decided to take on. This was something I did to help me become who I am, and what I have became today. Thankfully, this was not a goal that experts wrote down in an IEP report to gather dust in an archive.
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Thursday, November 20th, 2008 by Karen Lynn
This past weekend I had a chance to watch the paralympic games for the first time in my life. It was amazing for me to watch these athletes. They moved with such grace and determination. Such dignity, confidence and respect for themselves. With and without prostheses. In wheelchair and without. All with one goal in mind, to accomplish the un-accomplishable! To prove to themselves first, and to the world second, that they could stand up before the world and shine with glory! To show the world that they were no different-
There is so much we as disable people can do. But we need the world to soften. We need the world to accept us more. we need the world to look at us the same way we look at ourselves- And, most importantly we need to be given chances and opportunities-
We need the world to not look at us with pity, disgrace, or contempt- or as though we are leopards, in a leopards colony. We need society to respect us- we need society to allow us to try and to pick ourselves up and try, try again. And, we need the gift and blessing of the world to help us climb every mountain and to help us reach every dream!
Posted in Living With a Physical Disability | 3 Comments »
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