Living With Wheels

Simple Autobiography

Teenage Years

By the time I entered my teens, I understood that my body didn't function like my sister's, but (probably because of my pragmatic/literal approach to life) it didn't matter to me. I was 'me', and the 'me' included the oddly functioning body and my wheelchair.

Since my special school boarding-school experience was a happy one, I didn't have the angst that a lot of my peers (disabled or otherwise) have had.

I did, however, become increasingly aware of my muscle spasms at this period. These had always been a part of the mix that was/is my body, but as my body matured and my muscles grew in strength, my spasms got more obvious. The majority of the unwanted spasms have always been in my legs and this meant (and continues to mean) that my balance was affected and my coordination deteriorated until the spasm died down.

I learned how to manage my spasm with the assistance of diazepam, but even as an adult, they have been the 'loose cannon' in my body as there has never been any means to predict when they will occur or how powerful they will be.