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Online home for Zachary Fenell, author, public speaker, and all around cerebral palsy advocate!
Fall 2016 marked cerebral palsy’s introduction into the mainstream. A feat accomplished by ABC sitcom Speechless. Yes, a show dedicated entirely to a special needs family. Previously such programming airing on a top four network seemed implausible. 2016 appears to specialize in implausibility, though. See World Series champions Chicago Cubs and President-elect Donald Trump. Anyways…
Extra enthusiasm surrounded the 2016 Cleveland Indians. A natural occurrence considering the team remained one win away from a World Series championship. That elusive victory will haunt the franchise’s fan base for a while. Exactly how long, only the 2017 Cleveland Indians can help control. Although said topic stands one for another day and another…
Links to I’m Special and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves by Ryan O’Connell are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Reading I’m Special and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves by Ryan O’Connell stirred mixed emotions. Amazon categorizes the read under “humor.” The book description in-part reads “This…
“You are inspirational.” Those words you may, depending on your cerebral palsy, remain acquainted with or know well. There exists a correlation between inspiration and cerebral palsy. Well, disability in general. While my peers in the CP community likely realize where I am going with this, I imagine able-bodied readers thinking “Nice! You’re inspirational.” Yeah……
Envy, you likely know the feeling. Maybe you desire the relationship someone else enjoys. Or, you covet the promotion given to your co-worker. Perhaps you resentfully think “If only I was that tall…” Honestly, life offers many reasons to feel envious. When discussing life with cerebral palsy, those reasons grow exponentially. Cerebral palsy impacts both…
Awkward moments, everyone encounters them. For people with cerebral palsy that remains especially true. Walking differently or using a mobility device seems to attract the awkwardness. Strangers make oddball remarks or behave peculiarly. Those while awkward moments, I do not plan to focus on today. Instead I wish to address another kind. This post will…
Training for a half marathon (13.1 miles) requires much hard work. Effort that proves worthwhile. Rewarding even! Personally, one such reward came surprisingly via a Team IBB sponsorship. IBB stands for I’ve been burned. Honestly, I never envisioned the term “sponsored athlete” describing me. Heck, for a very long time “athlete” remained a stretch. Specifics…
Cerebral palsy can easily leave you feeling like an outsider. When talking about staying fit though, we in the CP community possess company. Others with physical disabilities encounter similar sentiments. Short people pardon the pun go overlooked. Bigger individuals may feel self-conscious. Such emotions make pursuing an active lifestyle intimidating. Trust me, I know the…
Living with cerebral palsy you will face moments where anger bests your more sensible side. I bet each individual with CP can recall at least one such memory. Maybe accessibility issues prevented you from going to a party. Or, you encounter a stranger who made extremely unfair assumptions about you. Those assumptions may cause said…
Understand you belong. No matter your cerebral palsy, you belong! Unfortunately, your own self-talk could try to convince you differently. Today’s post aims to equip you to overcome said negativity. By the end you will not need me saying “You belong.” Instead you will stand tall as possible, ready to declare “I BELONG!” Trust me,…