2018 Whoo hoo!!

I can't believe it's already February!! I am doing nothing at all!! I have to make a list of what I want to get done in the new year... I have been skiing every Sunday night! I sit in a sled-like bucket while someone ski's behind me, we're attached by two ropes. It's so much fun! I do jumps sometimes but I miscalculated it a bit last time and rolled over my head and landed on my side, lol.It feels like I am free for a couple of hours. I thought I would hate it because I hate cold weather, I have three more weeks of it and then it's over... But I'm hoping I get to go on a ski trip next month! It's a family day Canada Olympic Parc so I invited my friends, and sisters and their families to come see how I do it. I hope I can go back next year and try to ski on my own with poles. 

My Friday evenings are spent at the UofC where a team is working at building a speech assistance app for me. It's part of a program where designers and engineers collaborate with individuals with disabilities to improve their qualitiy of life. When I go out, people often have a hard time understanding me when I speak.... it sounds like I'm drunk, haha! I want to go back next year, I have been brainstorming new ideas for them. 

Wednesday's I'm working on a course offered through the library about how to make money off of writing. It's a good course and I like it! I was talking to a friend of mine on the weekend and she was telling a lady about me and what I'm up to. This young lady is doing a course at Bow Valley about disabilities so she gave her my name and all my information. I don't know for sure what this may lead to but I'm hoping to try some public speaking, a classroom would be a great place to start. 

I am waiting to hear back from the disability film fest... It's coming up in March so I'm assuming I didn't make it. But that's alright! I still want to go check it out and watch the other films. 

Last year I was a part of IDPD (International Day of Persons with Disabilities). I had a table set up with my writing and business cards and it was a blast! I would love to do more events like this in 2018. I want to widen my horizons and do more with my life. 

I have a lot of goals and I keep myself busy, I HAVE a disability but that's not WHO I am.


 I am Shawna Mattinson.

The dream of the girl

Hello my friends,

It’s difficult finding your old self after having a min stroke. It’s hard getting back to the person that you were before and doing all the staff that you can do and you love to do before. You never thought you have to stop working for your dream; in my case, working on walking. Sometimes, I’m not sure if the doctors are right, and if I have to stop fighting for my biggest dream. Maybe, I don’t have to listen to them all the time and it’s much better just to keep working on my goals. It feels like I’m giving up on my dream to walking and I’m not the girl who give up on her dreams. I know that it sounds silly for people who can walk, but for me is like a baby taking their first step. I will keep working out because I don’t want to become a vegetable, but if they tell me that I can’t go back walking that will kill me, because I always have a dream that I’ll be the first girl who has a Cerebral Palsy, but who will be able to get out of her wheelchair and walk. So I don’t know if that is working for me, but I need to see what the doctors said. The doctors told me that they will have an answer for me in six months. The six months are almost here in two weeks, so I will see what happened.  

Finding your legs

I went online today to see if there were anyone else who had cerebral palsy and wanted to walk on their own, like me. I found this video about this young guy who has cerebral palsy who walks with crutches, but he wants to walk without his crutches. This video is very awesome. He has a fight inside of him that tells him that anything can happen if you put your mind to it. 

it's amazing to watch how he trains. It's clear to see that he works very hard and is very determined to reach his goal. Seeing him pushes me to want to do more with my body and discover what my limitations truly are. Finding him as well as others with CP who have a goal of walking makes me feel part of a larger community. It serves as a reminder that I am not alone in my struggle and that my goal really is achievable. 

Never give up on your dreams

This is a video of me walking on a treadmill. Like I said in the previous post, I would like to be walking in 2 years. I am on my way!

(the sound is bad, so turn your speakers low or off)

I have a goal for myself

When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be like my sisters: able to get up and walk. I have a goal in my mind that one day, I’ll be able to get out of my wheelchair and do just that. At age 35 (in two years), I want to go out to a movie all by myself so my friends won’t have to take my wheelchair. It’ll be easier to go out with everybody because they won’t have to worry about making room for my chair in the car. And at age 40, I’m hoping I won’t have to be in my wheelchair anymore. I’ll keep working on my leg strength so that I can do that; I am working out two times a week on the bike for an hour each time, and I want to try the treadmill and move my legs like a normal person. I want to get more muscle in my upper body too, so I’ll have to do some weights. Also, I want to get back in the water like I was in Hawaii, and get into Special Olympics.

I see a lot of people on TV who are getting into accidents, needing wheelchairs, and they think that their life is over because they can’t walk anymore. But if they work hard enough, they can get back their mobility and their life. I know that I have a good life with my family and friends, but I want to do more with myself.