My Life Story

I think I am ready to publish my book and get my story out there. I always felt that my writing was bad and not good enough to get published and to let people read it. I started writing my life story when I got out of high school and took my time on my writing through the years. After 12 years I feel that my book is finally done and I want to see if I can get my book published. I changed my mind on publishing my book because I did a blog on a show that Dr. Phil did. It was about a mother who has two kids and they have a disability and the mother wanted to end their life. And then I saw a video on this young girl who was like me in the way that she has a disability. She also has a twin sister like me and she wrote a book about her life and she also has a blog. I also watched on Anderson, he had this lady on the show. She feels like she was meant to be in a wheelchair but she was a normal lady who can walk and do anything that she wants to do. I was hurt by that, because I wish I could be a normal lady who doesn’t have C.P. and get out of my wheelchair. So it is time for me to get my story out there and see what happens. Can I say this - we are all normal whatever we are in the world.

Handi-bus

 I started using the Handi-bus when I moved to Calgary in 2000. There was a Handi-bus in Aidrie and I used it when I was growing up. Now I take Handi-bus 5 days a week. Mondays and Wednesdays are vocational trips where I’m supposed by an organization and work trips on my own Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Sometimes I use them on the weekend if I go out with friends. Handi-bus is a big part of my life and I rely on it to get around Calgary. My wheelchair is a power chair and only fits in accessible vehicles. I can go from point A to point B but they’re not a good service. Handi-bus gives me a 20 minute window of time when they will pick me up and I need to be ready for that but they can also run late.

One of my worst experiences was when I worked downtown at Coles Book Store and it was time for me go home. Coles is upstairs and I needed to wait downstairs. I went to wait for the bus but they never showed up in the window of time. So I went back to get someone to call for me. They called for me to see where they are and Handi-bus said they were running late and will be there in next 15min. But they didn’t get there. After calling them a few times, it was closing time and there weren’t many people left in the mall. I saw a van cab and thought “finally they’re here!” but he was there for someone else and couldn’t find him or her. I asked him if he could please take me home. It was around 7 and I was done work at 5. All I wanted was to go home and he agreed. I want to thank him because if he hadn’t come, I don’t know what I would have done. And then I was in a bad situation with a Handi-bus driver. Before that happened I thought I was safe on the bus but now I am cautious with anybody who comes into my life.

Sometime I wish I had an accessible van so I don't have to use Handi-bus anymore but that is not the case.

In the money!

After moving out of the group home, I was paying less each month for rent. So I had more money to buy stuff! I decided that I wanted to give something special to my mom and she gave me a hint of what she needed. So I wanted to buy an iPod for her as a Mother’s Day gift. I asked my sisters if they wanted to go in with me but they already had something for Mother’s Day. So I went and bought it for her on my own! In the past, I see my sisters buying gifts for my parents and they ask me if I want to go in with them to split the cost. I paid them how much I can but it’s hard. I felt like I couldn’t give back to my parents when they provided for me for years. It is hard to live with a disability and get AISH. But now with the increase to AISH and working, I have the money to buy more stuff for my life and things for my family!   

Hi blog readers

I am here thinking about my next blog that I want to write but there is nothing coming to my mind. I don't know what to talk about next I always talk about what’s going on with me and my disability. My disability, it is a big part in my life and what I have achieved in my life at age 30. It has not stopped me from what I want with my life and nobody tells me ‘No’ I always show my family and friends.

I don't know what way I want to take this blog. But I know now that it is my choice, not anyone else’s.

People need to know that my life is my life and no one can tell me what I need to do. For example, don’t tell me to talk to people that I don’t know well. To get to know people I have to talk with them but I am wary of who I talk to and am friends with. Something happened to me couple of years ago and now I am careful of people. I don't understand friends sometime! If people want to be my friend that will be awesome. But don't feel like my disability gets in the way to talk to me. You need to get to know me and understand the way I talk and if you hang around me you’ll get there! And also if you still have a hard time understanding me I will try to put in another way for you.

I learned something about friends; it’s not a good friendship if they want to tell you what to do. And if they make you doubt yourself, they are not friends that you need in your life. I know because it happened to me and I realized he wasn’t a good friend to me. After 10 years of friendship I decided to end it. It was hard at first but now I know I made the right choice to end the friendship.

If you have a good friend, it doesn’t matter if they have a disability or not, be their friend. And if they want your opinion, you can give it but it is your friend’s choice, not yours. Be there for whenever they need a friend.

Elton John

On Tuesday I went to see Elton John! A friend of my sister got 8 tickets so it was her, 4 of her friends, my mom, my roommate and me. My roommate and I went down to Lethbridge in the afternoon and then we went out for dinner. The concert was at 8. It was all him, no one opened up for him. He played for 2 and a half hours right on the piano. We sat on the top right so it was very good seats but the seats were close together and there was no leg space. He put on a excellent show! And then Laura and I drove home after the show. The show was over at 10:30 and we got out there and stopped at McDonalds for a drink. It was a big mistake doing the drive through. Big mistake! It took 45 min before we ordered! And even longer for our food and to eat. So we got on the road at 11:45 and got home at 2. It was a wonderful night. 

My thoughts and feelings!!

After doing the blog on Dr. Phil, I found a video about this young lady who has a disability and she is a twin too.

She finally talked to her family through a typing on a computer. Her life was difficult for her and her family. Check out this video about her: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZVV4Ciccg&sns=fb

When I watched the video it hit very close to home and it got me thinking about my life. In a way it was like watching myself in the video. This girl who never talked to her family and at age 13 she talked with help a computer. She wrote a book on having a disability and has a blog.

People who have disabilities, we have goals and dreams like everyone else. 

Dr. Phil

Hey does anyone watch Dr. Phil? Sometimes I watch him. I watched Dr. Phil on Friday; it was about a mother who has two grown children with disabilities. The two children are in their 40’s and they have a disorder called Sanfilippo syndrome. It is a genetic disorder but doesn't show up until you're a few years old.

They live in an institution and their mother doesn’t see them often. She says that when she goes to visit her children, she believes that they do not know she’s there. She has no way to communicate with her children and for them to share what feelings they have.

So she goes to visit them every 2 months and she wants the right to euthanize her severely disabled children. They require feeding tubes to eat and the mother believes that this is the only thing keeping them alive. There was another mother on the show who has a special needs child. This mother says that euthanizing people is taking their lives away from them.

Here are my thoughts on the subject. It is hard topic to think about because I live with disability. I know what it is like to live with a disability.  Sometimes I wish I didn’t have a disability but my disability isn’t as bad as other people.

If I had a severe form of a disability and if I had no idea about what is going on around me, then yes I hope my parents would do the right thing by my family and me.

In that case, if my parents wanted to put me in an institution, that would be okay with me. It probably wouldn’t make a difference to me. But, I know in my heart that when my family comes to visit, I will sense their presence. But I don't know if I want to live like a vegetable and have no quality of life. It would be up to my parents to keep me alive or not. If something happened to me and I lost my quality of life, I would want my parents to let me go. I know my family loves me and would want to do the right thing for me. 

I understand the pain of what she is going through and I get what she is dealing with and I hope people understand that it’s not easy for her. She needs to do the right thing for her and her family and people should not judge. At the same time, just because someone has a disability, it doesn’t mean they don’t have a good quality of life. It all depends on the person and the disability.