I wrote this article for The Mighty website.
You can also read it here.
Growing up with cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia) in the U.K., I received a lot of input from health professionals. There were physiotherapy sessions, special shoes, gaiters, a wheelchair, occupational therapist, offers of surgery and Botox injections. My condition was under consistent scrutiny – being told to walk up and down and up and down while doctors watched how I moved, placing white dot stickers on my joints so a computer could track my gait. Many sessions involved therapists pulling my bent legs up to measure the angle of my knee and test my flexibility.