Throughout my 22 years of living with cerebral palsy, I often found it hard to cope with the fact that I was different from others, and over the years I have tried many different hobbies to deal with my spastic cerebral palsy.Over time I realize that nothing stood out to me or nothing that I was involved in helping me cope with my cerebral palsy as the way writing does.
I often felt out-of-place as most of my friends were already finding their passions at a very young age and here was I still not sure about what I wanted to do with my life or where my life was going to end up I wanted to be many things.
While in middle school while I wanted to be I wanted to go to Harvard and then eventually become an attorney but then over time, I grew out of that phase in my life.
Once I got into high school, I had gotten the thought that I would love to be an actress living in Hollywood with cerebral palsy so my parents agreed to sign me up for the drama club
Meanwhile, I enjoyed getting to new students that we’re not in the special education classes I had figured out that acting was not for me.
Durning this time in my life I faced many obstacles and challenges from being bullied by the teacher and staff at the high school I was attending at the time of grieving the loss of my dear friend of 10 years Daniel to a brain tumor I hit a down road spinal trying to find my way in life.
I had an uncertain path in way Until one day my step-dad took me to Barnes & Noble’s once we got there he got me a Starbucks vanilla bean frappuccino and I started to visualize and imagine, and that’s when it clicked I told myself that I should write a book just for fun
so when I got home that night, I opened my mac book and begin writing the first couple of paragraphs when my mom walks in she took a glaze at my document said I like that keep that and we will publish it.
From the minute I started writing at sixteen years old I loved it and I realize that it helps me cope with my cerebral palsy in a lot of ways to more than what I could ever know of course there are plenty days where I get frustrated and I get upset having cerebral palsy it’s a very difficult journey .
But once I start to write I feel like I can express my self with a character that I created going through a journey that I’m going through at the time or what happened in the past with my cerebral palsy since I was able to start writing and truly find my passion, I feel so much relief with less stress towards my cerebral palsy and less anxiety .
I’m truly blessed to have found my passion because it wouldn’t for me finding my passion who know how my life would be or where I would be right now without writing, I would probably be the angriest person in the world still trying to find my way in life through the gift of writing it has allowed me to spread awareness on Cerebral Palsy and also allowed me to be proud to have Cerebral Palsy and be apart of 17 million people around the world with Cerebral Palsy.
Since before I was ashamed for people to know that I was born with a condition but now I’m no longer ashamed to say Hi my name is Tylia Flores and I’m apart of the 17 million people with Cerebral Palsy.
Each and every day, I get so inspired by my life experiences with Cerebral palsy and its journey every time I have an experience I pick up a pen and start writing!
One Comment
Dann Saysana
09/24/2017 at 1:58 pmI agree with you because I did the same!