My journey with Cerebral Palsy and the incredible people who carried me through every step of it, sometimes literally.
I was born early, at just 26 weeks. With that early arrival came complications, including significant bleeding on the brain that resulted in Cerebral Palsy (Spastic Diplegia), mostly affecting my lower limbs. From the beginning, nothing about life came easily from wheelchairs, walking frames, walking sticks, therapy rooms, exhaustion, frustration, and the kind of battles most people never see.
But this isn’t just a story about me.
It’s a story about my family and friends the ones who made the impossible possible. The People Who Turned Struggles Into Steps
I’ve been lucky. Truly lucky. I’ve had an extraordinary team behind me: doctors, nurses, speech therapists, physios, the ones who cast and recast my legs, from calf recessions, botox injections, synvisc for my knees, and every procedure and surgery that nudged me closer to walking independently. Thanks to them, I’m able to stand, walk, work, live on my own, and build a life I once wasn’t sure I’d have.
And then there’s my family.
My dad who is my hero who worked full time, raised a family, and still found the energy to drive me to appointment after appointment, kilometre after kilometre, without a single complaint (even when I absolutely hated going). Living rurally meant a 6 hour drive there and a 6 hour drive back to see any surgeons, specialist doctors and attend clinics ,this meant long days and long drives, but he never hesitated or complained, even though money was tight we never went without. My whole family stood by me through every win and every breakdown, every milestone and every moment I didn’t want to keep going, physically or mentally.
They never let me forget that I was capable.
They never let me stop trying.
As an adult, I’ve built a home with my amazing partner, who takes everything in stride and never once wavers in his care, love and support. I’ve found a career I truly love, surrounded by people who understand my limits, cheer me on, and make it possible for me to show up every single day. And I’m lucky enough to live a life filled with caring, hilarious, loyal people who make every moment big and small worthwhile.
My disability is part of my story, but it doesn’t define me. If anything, it’s taught me to appreciate every step a little more, because none of them came easy.
Over the years, I’ve kept taking on challenges not just for myself, but to honour the people who got me here and to help raise funds for those also living with CP.
Back in 2013, I took part in Steptember. In 2022 I walked 79km for RFDS Oceans to Outback. And in 2023 I hit a 129km walking target raising funds for the CP Alliance, and my favourite of all was in 2024 when I got to do the 100km in March Challenge again but this time with Dexter our dog, the most handsome four legged partner a girl could ask for.
Every kilometre was for the researchers, therapists, doctors, nurses and the kids growing up with CP right now, hoping for the same chance at independence that I was given.
Cerebral Palsy can affect movement, balance, posture, sleep, learning, communication, and much more. It looks different for everyone. For me, along with many other things it includes muscle spasms (yes, I’ve learned the hard way don’t give me breakables!). For others, it can be far more severe.
- This is why awareness matters.
- This is why support matters.
- This is why fundraising matters.
If you’re struggling whether you have a disability or not, let me leave you with the message the people in my life helped me learn:
Everything takes time.
Hard work pays off.
Keep going.
Your disability, your hardships, your challenges none of them define you.
Sometimes life is tough. Sometimes it feels unfair. Sometimes you just want to sit down and stop. I’ve been there more times than I can count.
But then I look at how far I’ve come and at the people who helped me get here. Every day that I get to walk, to work, to laugh, to live independently, to be with the people I love it truly makes it all worth it.